The First Lady
by RyansDreamMaker
Summary: Bass had always called Charlie the First Lady, but he never actually intended for it to become her official title.- Or - What happens when a group of people think they can run a country without any prior experience, and the nonsense that ensues. :-)
1. Chapter 1

The first time Bass does it, he uses it as an excuse to get out of an obnoxious officers meeting.

"Sir, The Plains Nation has been sending more and more men in for weeks. They're all holed up in an abandoned building near the western edge of Des Moines. They've got rifles and grenade launchers on the roof, anyone that goes near the building ends up dead."

Bass shows no outward signs of irritation, though an inner battle is already waging. "How do you plan on getting them out of there?" The question is met with silence, the officers around the table unwilling to voice an opinion that the President may not like. "Well?"

A harsh looking man with an animalistic gleam in his eyes leans forward in his seat. Bass is pretty sure that his name is Strausser. "Sir, if I may, we need to deal with the situation as soon as possible. If The Plains Nation is allowed to remain on our territory without consequence any longer, they may start to move even more people in and try to take over the city."

"I'm aware of that, thank you, Sergeant. But what exactly do you propose we do about it?" The other man smiles a very creepy sort of smile that sends waves of nausea through Bass' stomach.

"I think our most effective option would be to burn the building to the ground along with all of the people in it. It'll send a message to those Plains rats that we won't be pushed around on our own turf."

Murmurs of agreement sweep around the table and Bass finds himself reluctantly nodding along until a tiny squeak echos through the room. Everyone turns to find a horrified Charlie Matheson staring back at them. Bass doesn't remember her being there when the meeting started and he definitely doesn't remember her entering once they got the meeting going. Somehow, nine year old Charlie had managed to give a room full of soldiers the slip.

He gives her one of those 'you shouldn't be in here right now' looks, but she ignores it and comes over to stand next to his chair. She's dressed in an old t-shirt and holey jeans, clearly ready for a day of playing outside, but must have been sidetracked by their meeting on her way.

"Charlie, don't you have somewhere you're supposed to be?" But his not so subtle suggestion to get out falls on deaf ears and Bass promises himself that this time he really will ground her for interrupting another meeting. Well, maybe.

She looks over at him, their faces on the same level even though she's still standing. "You can't just burn it down, Bass."

He ignores her use of his first name, having given up on trying to get her to address him properly in front of company years ago, but wonders why she seems so against the idea. It's not like they hadn't done this sort of thing before. "Why not?"

Charlie huffs impatiently as if she thinks the answer is obvious, but when no one seems ready to come forward she simply rolls her eyes. "You can't do it because of the drought." Some of the officers look a little confused at her simple explanation, but Bass can see where she's going with this. "Everything's so dry that if you start a fire, you might accidentally burn down the whole town."

The officers, while not thrilled about being shown up by a little girl, agree that burning down The Plain Nation's headquarters in this climate isn't a good idea. All except for Strausser.

"Excuse me, sir, but I think that losing one city would be an acceptable loss if it means keeping The Plains off our backs."

Bass doesn't even have a chance to argue before Charlie's staring the man down, hands on her little hips, and a glare that rivals that of her uncle. "Well excuse me, but I don't think that it's your city we're talking about burning, now is it? How would you feel if we burnt down Philly and called it 'an acceptable loss?' We can't just go around burning down people's homes, that's no way to run a country!"

Strausser glares at her. "Now you listen here, little girl-"

"Enough." Bass stands up from his chair, a headache suddenly forming in the front of his brain. "Just... Enough. Burning down an entire city is not an option."

"Then what do we do, sir?" One of the other officers asks.

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. He really isn't in the mood for this right now. Actually, he would really rather be doing pretty much anything else.

"You know what, you guys will have to think on it without me. I just remembered that I promised The First Lady that I would take her our riding today." He looks down at Charlie and watches her face turn from confusion to excitement when she realizes that he's talking about her.

"You did? But I don't remember-"

"Yes, I did," he says loudly and then she seems to catch on.

"Oh yeah, that's why I came in here. So we could go out... riding." It's so obviously a lie that no one buys it, but they also don't dare contradict the President as he offers little Charlie his arm and leads the giggling girl from the room.

* * *

The second time Bass does it, it's to save himself from public humiliation.

It was the fifth anniversary of The Monroe Republic and Julia Neville had gotten it into her head that they needed to throw a party. She'd gotten Jeremy Baker on board and word of the party had spread like wildfire through the ranks. By the time Bass and Miles heard anything about it the entire Militia was so excited that there was no way they could say no.

Which is how Bass ended up sitting at a long table on a stage, in a banquet hall, surrounded by suck ups and socialites.

Everyone is dressed in their best clothes. Soldiers in their pressed uniforms and their wives in colorful gowns with painful high heels. The hall is decorated with blue and white banners, the pure white table cloths ironed to perfection.

Bass and Miles are drinking their way slowly through a bottle of scotch while they listen to their table mates drone on and on about things they really didn't care about, when Jeremy stands up from a table not far from their's and mounts the stage with a wide grin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please." He waits for the chatter to die down before continuing. "Thank you all for coming tonight so we could celebrate our country's success, together." The crowd interrupts his speech with excited applause. "Yes, yes, it's very exciting. But uunfortunately, the President and the General seem to have gotten a little too drunk a little too quickly, so I think it's probably best that we cancel whatever speech either of them was planning to make."

This announcement is met with loud laughter and both boys make a show of holding up their glasses for the crowd to see. They of course had made Jeremy agree to this little charade as soon as they realized that there was no way out of the party.

"However," Jeremy continued, earning their attention because this wasn't a part of the plan. "I think that our wonderful President, the man that has led us to where we are today, should lead us out onto the dance floor with the first dance. He waves his arms in a big sweeping motion, as if paving the way for Bass to take center stage.

Every eye in the hall focuses in on him. Bass can feel the woman around him viying for his attention, practically begging to be chosen to dance the first dance with the President. He can't bring himself to do it though. Picking a woman from the crowd would almost guarantee that he would spend the rest of the night in her unbearable company. Plus, despite the years that had passed, Bass still couldn't bring himself to move on from Shelly.

His eyes scan over the crowd desperately and catch on a pair of bright blue eyes. Smiling, he stands up, knowing exactly how to deal with Jeremy's trick, which had no doubt been meant to set him up with some random woman.

"Thank you, Captain Baker. Well, I think it's only appropriate that the first dance of the first ever anniversary gala be done with The First Lady." As he steps down from the platform, a hush settles over the room. Everyone's no doubt trying to figure out when their President had gotten married. But Bass' eyes train on Charlie who is watching him with a cool expression, though he can sense the held back glare she's sending his way. He holds out his hand in her direction and the woman around her start looking around excitedly as if he were talking to them.

Charlie stands, and although she is short, her back is straight and her head held high. At the young age of twelve she's still in that awkward teenager phase, though the frilly, pink dress she's wearing - chosen by none other than Julia - makes her look like a fairy princess. An angry one, but a princess nonetheless.

She weaves her way through the mass of tables, women glaring at her enviously as she passes, until she reaches him and reluctantly takes his hand. He'll pay for this later, he can see it in her eyes.

The dancing is easy. Julia had been insisting from day one that Charlie needed to learn the ways of proper etiquette so that when visiting representatives came, she could help the boys make a good impression. Despite complaining loudly and for long periods at a time, Charlie had taken the piano lessons, learned to speak French, use all the proper silverware, and even taken ballroom dancing lessons. Deep down she knew that those things, while uncomfortable or annoying most of the time, would someday come in handy. Which is why Bass and Miles had been caught many times throughout the past few weeks holed up in an empty room with her trying to learn to dance as well.

They glide seamlessly across the floor together as the music plays though as people start to join them they let themselves relax a little. Charlie waits until everyone it too busy dancing to pay them any attention before she starts in on him.

"You can't avoid it forever, you know."

He wishes he could pretend that he has no idea what she's talking about, but Charlie had been there when Shelly died. She remembers the blood and the crying. Twelve is much too young for a person to understand that kind of loss, but Bass can see the hidden pain in her eyes and the concern she has for him and his well being. So young in years, but with such an old soul. He doesn't want to insult her intelligence by pretending, so he takes another route instead.

"I know. Tell you what, you find me a woman that can do the duties of The First Lady better than you, and I'll marry her. Until then, you'll just have to live it."

She sighs and shakes her head but seems to know that this isn't the time or place for that discussion, so she let's it go. The two of them spend the rest of the night helping each other stay away from the gold digging whores that want to share the President's bed and Julia's friends that think that Charlie frowns too much.

* * *

The third time it happens, Bass is too worried about Charlie to even realize that he said it.

He's at some stupid cocktail party. Miles is out of town dealing with another border problem, which means that keeping an eye on Charlie is his problem. She had made it abundantly clear that if he didn't bring her along then she was going to go hang out with her little friend Jason Neville. Bass preferred it when Miles wasn't angry with him, so in order to keep Charlie away from the boy, he brought her with him.

She's a natural at these things. People dote all over her and she works the crowd like a pro. At fourteen, she's pretty much past the awkward phase and has moved into young adulthood. Which is a problem. In her powder blue, strapless, knee length dress, she's attracting quite a bit of attention from the men in the room. Bass wonders where the dress even came from, because he distinctly remembers Miles going through her closet and throwing out something just like it a few weeks ago. Bass had thrown out a green halter top dress that he was sure wouldn't have covered her butt.

Fortunately, a single glare from the President and the boys back off, which leaves Charlie plenty of time to work the room. Unfortunately, that also leaves Bass with plenty of time to 'get to know' the single women attending the party.

They're like vultures. Circling around him like he's their latest catch. He's sweating and uncomfortable. It's not that he doesn't like women, he's certainly known for his womanizing qualities, he just doesn't like the ladder climbing, let-me-spend-your-money kind of women.

A particularly forward one, with bleached hair and lots of cleavage, is in the process of sticking her hand down his pants when the crowd parts and Charlie staggers through.

"Bass," her voice is weak and she grabs onto his arm for support.

He immediately pushes the other woman away and grabs Charlie under her arms to steady her, she sags against him. "Charlie, what's wrong?" He can feel the panic rising in his chest. Sick Charlie is not an option.

"I don't know," she moans. "I drank this thing a guy gave me and now my stomach hurts." She wraps her arms around herself and whimpers as she clutches her stomach.

"What?" And he will never admit that he actually screeched. "What was it? Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know. It smelled kinda funny." She slaps a hand over her mouth. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

By this point, the President and the General's niece have the entire rooms attention. The other guests have gathered around them to watch the disaster unfold. Bass, who is now more concerned for Charlie's health than anything else, picks her up bridal style and starts shoving his way through the crowd towards the exit. People are to stunned to have any sense to move out of his way, so he shouts, "move it! The First Lady's coming through!"

Charlie's head sags on his shoulder and she groans some more as he all but runs from the house and down the street, heading in the direction of Independence Hall. He yells at someone from his detail to fetch the doctor as they round the first corner away from the house, but before the guy gets more than three feet, Charlie starts to laugh.

It's a belly shaking laugh that shocks him so much he nearly drops her. Standing up on her own two feet, she gets her laughter under control and wipes the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bass, I just thought that you looked like you needed to be rescued from that blonde chick."

First, he's releaved that she's not sick, but then he's angry that she scared him, then her words really sink in and he laughs.

"I should have known you were faking. ' _It smelled funny._ ' Please, you're more familiar with alcohol than most adults."

She smirks. "Now we get the night off."

Bass slings an arm over her shoulder as they start the walk home. "So what do you want to do with it?" Charlie opens her mouth excitedly, but he quickly cuts her off. "But we are not putting manure in Neville's office again. He's still complaining about last time."

* * *

The fourth time Bass says it, it's more out of habit than anything else.

The visiting delegates from Texas have just arrived and the President is hosting them in the large dining room. Everything is going pretty well, the guy Texas sent - Blanchard is his name - is easy to get along with, and soon he, Bass, and Miles are joking around like old friends.

It's not until just after lunch that an urgent message arrives with a very harassed looking messenger. Bass takes the crumpled up note and scans it quickly, his blood running cold as he shoves it at Miles.

"I'm so sorry, General Blanchard, but Miles and I have an issue that needs our immediate attention." He looks around the room and spots Charlie who is looking back at him concernedly. "Why doesn't The First Lady give you a tour of the grounds while we handle it and we'll catch up soon, OK?"

Charlie catches the seriousness in his face and nods, standing up to take control of the situation instantly. At seventeen, she's all curves and lean muscle. Beautiful and confident, intelligent and strong. The young men around The Republic don't have to worry about her protective uncle, they simply cower at her feet. She smooths out her long, green dress and puts on her best charming smile. "Why don't we start in the gardens, they're absolutely beautiful this time of year."

Bass and Miles run to their office, grabbing officers along the way in order to deploy troops to their southern border immediately. Georgia has apparently thought that now would be a good time for a strike. It takes nearly an hour to get it all together, but with the orders sent out, there isn't much for them to do but return to their guests.

They find them in the downstairs hall. Charlie is sitting at the piano playing a beautiful melody while Blanchard's wife sings. When the women finish, Blanchard claps loudly, Bass and Miles join in. Mrs. Blanchard blushes but Charlie is looking to them for information about the emergency. Bass just shakes his head a little and she nods. She knows that they'll tell her later, but for now, they have guests to entertain.

* * *

The fifth time Bass does it, he knows that she won't mind.

Burried under a mountain of paperwork, Bass groans and rubs at his temples. What he really needs is for all of this stuff to sign itself, but since that isn't likely to happen, he plows on well into lunch until a newbie officer pokes his head into the office.

"Uh, sir?"

Without looking up from the tax report he's reading, Bass responds. "Mhmm?"

"Major Neville and Captain Baker said that they need to speak to you about the new training camp."

Bass sighs and looks up at the poor newbie who must have drawn the short straw to interrupt him. "What about it?"

"I'm not exactly sure, sir. They both just keep screaming at each other."

Typical. He'd be willing to bet that whatever it is, Tom probably thinks he's right and Jeremy knows he's wrong. Bass sighs again. He really doesn't have time for this.

"Do me a favor and have The First Lady handle it. She'll know what to do."

Now anyone else in the house would have known what that meant, but the poor newbie wasn't really in on the running jokes in Independence Hall.

"First Lady, sir?"

Bass frowns at his confusion, then laughs when he realizes that the kid is wondering who is wife is. "I mean Charlie, she can handle it."

"Oh, right. I'll get right on it, sir."

Later, when Charlie slouches into the living room she smacks Bass on the back of the head before slumping into the chair next to the couch where Miles is snoring loudly.

"That poor guy looked so confused, Bass. He kept calling me Mrs. Monroe. It took me about twenty minutes to explain it to him."

Bass chuckles and sets aside the book he'd been reading. "How'd it go with Jeremy and Tom?"

Rolling her eyes, Charlie gets up to snag a drink from the bar. "It went fine. No different than refereeing when you and Miles get into it."

She hands him a glass of whiskey on her way back to her chair. She's eighteen now, nineteen next month, and has become quite the extraordinary woman. Bass and Miles both depend on her for support on everything from moral issues to battle strategies. She's their go-to person whenever one of them needs something.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be able to handle it."

She nods, laughing. "I don't know what you guys are going to do when I leave. Who's gonna do all the stuff you guys don't want to?"

Bass starts to laugh, but stops as her words sink in. "Leave? Where are you going?"

But she merely smiles good naturedly and sips her drink. "Nowhere right this second, but I can't stay here forever, Bass. I'll have to move out someday."

"No you don't," he adds quickly. "No one wants you to leave."

She laughs. "I know that, but I highly doubt that my future husband will want to live in the same house as my uncle." She points at the snoring Miles with a significant look.

"Oh."

It's all he can think to say. Of course Charlie would get married someday. It just hadn't occurred to him that that would mean she would be leaving. Leaving Independence Hall and her Uncle Miles. Leaving him.

He realizes that he doesn't like that idea one bit.

* * *

The sixth time Bass calls her The First Lady, he fully intends for it to be the last time that it isn't actually her title.

It's very early in the morning, but the excitement is too much for Bass to bear. If he has to wait one more second, he might literally explode.

The door of Charlie's bedroom flings open at his touch and he stops, suddenly feeling very nervous, but he pushes it away and moves closer to the bed where she's sleeping soundly. Her golden blonde hair is splayed around her head like a halo, her skin gleaming in the morning sunlight. He sits down on the edge of her bed, the motion making her stir awake. She blinks up at him sleepily, then sits up, suddenly wide awake.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," he assures her. They fall into silence and Charlie stares at him.

"Bass, what's going on?"

"Nothing, can't I just come wish you a happy birthday?"

She looks over at the window, the rising sun casting rays of orange light across her face. "Yeah, but it's so early," she whines.

Bass looks away from her, his stomach churning uncomfortably. "I know, I'm sorry."

Something in his tone must clue her in, because she lays a hand on his cheek and gently turns him to face her. "Bass, tell me what's wrong."

The first words out of his mouth are the ones he's been thinking about for the past month. "I can't lose you, Charlie."

"Bass, I'm not going anywhere-"

"No... I mean..." And then he pulls the ring from his pocket. He'd bought it the day after she'd told him that she would have to leave someday. "I mean, I can't lose you to someone else."

Charlie stares wide eyed at the silver band with its glittering diamond and starts breathing heavily.

"So..." Bass looks uncertainly into her wide eyes. "Will you be my First Lady?"

She swallows hard, the sound audible in the silent room. Bass waits patiently for her to speak but nothing is coming out of her mouth even though her lips are moving. Eventually, Charlie nods and holds out her hand so he can slip the ring onto her finger.

"Really?" He asks in disbelief, which seems to break her spell of silence as she launches herself at him and wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"It's about time, you idiot," she says against his neck. And as Bass wraps his arms around his soon to be wife he can't help but think she's absolutely right.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N This isn't necessarily a Charloe moment but it exists in the same little universe so I posted it here rather than doing it separately. Don't be too disappointed!

* * *

Bass can't really say that he's _enjoying_ having The Plains Nation representative in town, but considering how badly Miles and Charlie have been fighting lately, he's definitely thankful for the excuse to get away from them. They've been arguing nonstop about the stupidest things for weeks. It's gotten to the point that the only thing he can do to avoid them is lock himself in his office.

Which apparently isn't good enough anymore.

"You can't tell me what to do, Miles. You're not my Dad!"

Charlie rushes into the President's office and tries to slam the door behind her before her uncle can get in. Unfortunately, being a small statured thirteen year old doesn't work in her favor. Miles easily pries the door open and steps inside, a very well hidden expression of hurt on his face. He's spent years trying to locate Ben and Rachel with no success, and as much as he wishes he could, Miles knows he can't replace Charlie's father.

"That's not the point, Charlie. It's my job to protect you!" The shouting is nothing new. Miles and Charlie only have two settings; silent brooding or screaming, bitching mad.

"I was _fine_." Charlie growls back. "I didn't need your help."

Now Bass has absolutely no idea what's going on, but if experience has taught him anything, it's that getting in the middle of a Miles and Charlie showdown is a very, very, bad idea. Normally, his strategy at this point would be to quietly leave the room, but with The Plains Nation people in town, that isn't really an option.

"General Matheson," he practically shouts over whatever Miles is about to say next, "how nice of you to join us." The Mathesons both turn his way, making him wince at the sight of their angry faces. Charlie looks ready to start screaming at him too when she notices their guest. Duncan Page, a merciless clan leader, is watching the three of them with a small smirk. Charlie immediately drops her rebellious teenager persona and pulls on her political face.

"Ms. Page," she says calmly. "I didn't realize that you had already arrived. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

Duncan, seeming confused by the abrupt change in the previously murderous looking girl, gives her an awkward smile. "Yeah, well, we had good weather. Made good time."

Charlie smiles kindly at the other woman. "Oh, how lovely. We're all happy to have you here in Philly." Then she turns, almost menacingly, to her uncle. "Aren't we, General?"

And Miles, who should be used to Charlie's mood swings by now but still doesn't seem to get it, scratches his head and nods. "Uh... Yeah. Glad to have you, Duncan."

Charlie promptly smiles approvingly at Miles' weak greeting before turning towards Bass again. "My apologies for the interruption, Mr. President. Why don't I just leave the three of you to your work, and I'll go and... get you some refreshments."

Her smile as she leaves the room looks forced, but Bass knows that it's only because she's still angry about whatever she and Miles were arguing about. Said best friend, slowly takes the seat next to Duncan, still looking confused, and seeming momentarily stunned into silence.

Bass clears his throat awkwardly. "So... Where were we?"

Duncan snorts and hooks her thumb in the direction of the door that Charlie had just disappeared through. "Wait, you expect me to pretend that that didn't just happen?" He opens his mouth to make up some sort of excuse for Charlie's behavior, but Miles beats him to it.

"She was right, anyway." He mumbles.

Bass knows him well enough to know that Miles is internally beating himself up about the entire thing. He hates it when Charlie's upset with him. "What were you guys fighting about, anyway?"

Miles doesn't answer at first, merely scowling down at the rug between his huge, booted feet. "I caught her making out with Neville's kid on my way back from the training camp." His voice suddenly takes on an angry tone. "Stupid kid had his hand up her shirt. In public. What was I supposed to do, stand there and watch?"

Duncan laughs loudly at Miles' outburst. "Are you kidding me? The Militia has to control people's love lives too?" Her voice takes on a nasty edge. "Food supplies and guns aren't enough for you two?" It takes a moment for Bass to realize that Duncan has no idea that Charlie is Miles' niece. She probably thinks that Charlie's just some random recruit. Unfortunately, he doesn't get a chance to explain it to her as his office door slams again.

Duncan turns in her seat to find a very angry Charlie glaring back at her, holding a tray of tea and cookies. "Actually," Charlie growls at her, "my _uncle_ , while completely wrong in this instance, was just trying to look out for me. So, why don't you keep your idiotic views of how The Republic runs it's military, to yourself instead of mouthing off about things you couldn't possibly understand." Duncan's jaw drops, Miles is staring at Charlie in shock, and all Bass can do is set his head in his hands, willing the universe to have pity on him.

The warlord recovers quickly. "Think pretty highly of yourself, don't you sweetheart? Not many people can get away with talking to me like that."

Charlie raises her eyebrows in disbelief but then immediately starts laughing. "Are you serious? Did you really just threaten me in front of the President of The Monroe Republic and the General of its Militia? Do you have a death wish, lady?"

Duncan turns to the two men, finding a pissed off General and a very angry President. She instantly tries to backtrack. "Mr. President, I didn't mean that I would actually hurt her-"

"I would certainly hope not. I take threats to my family very seriously." Duncan looks confused, probably trying to figure out how they're all related, but Bass doesn't give her a chance to ask. "Ms. Page, I think it's time for you to leave."

"But I just got here."

"Do me a favor and tell your superiors to send someone else next time."

"But-"

"Get out of my house!" Charlie yells. Duncan jerks at the harsh sound and scrambles toward the door, slamming it behind her without a backward glance.

Charlie sets the untouched tray on Bass' desk and sinks down into Duncan's vacated chair. The three of them lapse into silence. Bass watches his two Mathesons with amusement, they're both silent by nature, though both easy to read for anyone that pays attention.

Miles is clearly waiting for someone else to take the lead in the conversation. If they were on a battlefield it would be different, but on the home front, he's just not comfortable taking center stage. Touchy feely stuff isn't his thing. Charlie obviously feels guilty. She knows how important the negotiations with The Plains are, and the entire thing was just ruined because of something she did. Bass also suspects that she feels bad about the ' _you're not my dad'_ comment. Despite what she says, Miles is the closest thing she's ever had to a father, which is probably what prompted her to defend him to Duncan in the first place. Basically, both of them want to kiss and make up, but neither of them wants to go first.

Bass sighs. They've been fighting for weeks and all he wants is for the two of them to get past this little snit. So, and not for the first time, he takes the lead. "On the bright side, now I don't have to deal with Duncan hitting on me anymore." He sees Miles roll his eyes and Charlie bite back a laugh. "But it would have been nice to finish the negotiations first."

Her eyes drop to floor and she bites her lower lip. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, I just..."

Bass gets up and moves to stand next to her, stroking his fingers through her long hair. "Don't worry about it, OK? Just try not to scare off the next guy that they send." She nods and smiles up at him.

"Did you see the look on her face when she realized how mad you guys were, though? I thought she was gonna pee herself." He chuckles but inclines his head in Miles' direction. Charlie follows his gaze, finding her uncle still staring sadly at the floor. She watches him for a moment, clearly weighing a decision in her mind, before she reaches out and touches his arm.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I swear."

Miles shakes his head, brushing her hand away. "But you're right. I'm not your dad."

Charlie pulls her hand away quickly and folds them in her lap, staring at her fingers. "But you're all I've got," she says quietly, and there's a heartbreaking waver in her voice that makes Miles reach out to her and yank her from her seat, pulling her into his lap.

Bass watches Charlie cling to Miles' shoulders like she had when she was little and was afraid of the dark, her face buried in his neck. "I'm sorry, Uncle Miles."

Miles strokes her hair soothingly. "Shh, it's OK, Bug. Don't cry." But his use of her old nickname only makes it worse. It takes them a while to coax Charlie away from him, but when they finally do, the three sit and eat the cookies from the tray. The cold tea sits forgotten, and Bass hopes that the rest of their fighting will go with it.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm tired, Uncle Miles." Six months after the lights went out, Miles and Bass are worried about Ben and Rachel being all alone with a sickly toddler. They have everything that they can possibly carry stashed in their duffel bags, as well as Charlie's pink backpack, which is filled with children's books and toys, and they're on their way to Chicago to find them.

"I know, Bug. Just a little further and then we'll find a place to sleep. OK?"

Five year old Charlie blinks sleepily back at him, but nods her head. Miles takes her hand and let's her lean on them as they walk. Bass can tell that Miles hates this, making such a young child walk all this way, but they both know that there isn't any other choice.

When Charlie starts to sway as she walks, Miles stops and hands his duffel off to Bass who bravely adds the extra weight to his already heavy burden. Miles swings Charlie up onto his back, startling a laugh out of her before she wraps her arms and legs around him from behind. The boys continue to walk and not even five minutes later, Charlie is fast asleep, snoring softly against Miles' neck.

"We should stop soon, Miles." It takes his brother a moment to answer, he can see the wheels turning in Miles' head. The sooner they stop, the further they'll have to travel tomorrow if they ever want to find Ben and Rachel. But they also have to think about Charlie and the fact that a five year old just isn't meant to cross the country on foot.

"I know." He huffs and shifts Charlie a little higher on his back. "Just a little farther."

"If you want to switch, I can take a turn carrying her." Bass knows what he'll say, but thought he should ask anyway.

"Nah, she's lighter than my bag. You're actually doing me a favor." He gives him his best smile, which isn't very convincing after they've been walking all day, but Bass let's it go, knowing how stubborn his brother can be.

They walk for ten more minutes before they pass a sign that indicates a city just three miles away. "Think you can make it three more miles? It would be nice to sleep inside for a change," Bass says.

Miles doesn't speak, he merely nods and shifts Charlie around again before picking up his pace. Neither of them like sleeping outside. Even though they had 'borrowed' some camping gear from their out of town next door neighbors, they still feel too exposed sleeping outside.

It's a rural town and the first thing they spot as they walk down the abandoned interstate is a cheap motel. Though while the road is abandoned, the town is not. There are people wandering aimlessly up and down the sidewalks. Children, skinny and starving, hopping from hiding place to hiding place searching for food. Dead bodies lay in piles in ditchesI all around them.

Bass and Miles are both suddenly very happy that Charlie is already asleep, they don't need any more nightmares to add to her already too long list.

The people watch them as they pass by, bulging eyes regarding them warily and with faint curiosity. Bass rearranges the duffel bags on his shoulder so the hip holster he is wearing is easily visible. The watchers take one look at his gun and hastily turn away, trying to make it look like they don't even notice the two young men and the sleeping girl.

The motel is one of those sleazy ones that people take hookers to, but it's close and they're both exhausted. They walk around to the far side of the building, away from prying eyes, and pick a room towards the center of the complex. Bass listens with his ear pressed against the door while Miles keeps an eye out.

"I don't hear anything," Bass whispers.

"See if you can get in through the window."

It takes a little work, but Bass finally manages to pry the window open with his KA-BAR knife and slides into the room. Less than a minute later, Bass opens the motel room door with his gun in hand. "I swept it, it's clear."

There's a single bed covered with a dusty bedspread. Bass peals the nasty thing off, revealing some moderately clean sheets. Miles gently starts to ease Charlie off of his back and Bass moves to catch her, quickly transferring her to the bed. She mumbles something incoherent, but other than that shows no sign of even noticing the change in her position. Miles groans and leans back, stretching his tight muscles while Bass flops down next to Charlie. After a few minutes, Bass sits up to take off his boots, removing Charlie's pink sneakers while he's at it. Miles is standing by the open window, peering out into the darkness.

"Come on, Miles, we need to sleep."

"I know. I just... I don't like this place. There are too many people, what if one of them tries to break in while we're sleeping?"

Bass hadn't even considered that. He sits on the edge of the bed, facing Miles' back. "You think one of us should stay up and keep and eye on things?"

Miles turns around and grabs a rickety chair from the small desk in the room and props it close to the window. "Yeah, I'll watch. You get some sleep."

"I can watch, Miles. You carried Charlie for like five miles, you need to rest."

"I'll be fine, it's just for a little while. I'll wake you up when it's your turn."

Bass hesitates, hovering between wanting to help and wanting to sleep. "OK," he finally agrees, "But wake me if you get too tired."

"Don't worry about me, just get some sleep."

So Bass climbs into the bed next to Charlie, her tiny hands tucked against her chest for warmth, and lays down on his back, his eyelids immediately starting to droop. He is almost asleep when he feels tiny hands push their way into his jacket and Charlie's head nudging it's way into the crook of his arm. He rolls onto his side and pulls the little girl close against his chest just as he feels Miles drop a blanket over both of them. His eye sight is a little blurry now, but he sees Miles bend down so his face is close to Charlie's head. He barely hears Miles' voice when he says, "night, Bug."

* * *

A/N Again, this isn't really Charloe, but I really like this little world that I've got going on in my head so I'll probably add a few more of these little bits to the story. :-)


	4. Chapter 4

It's been nine months since the power went out. Bass knows because he keeps a notebook with each day ticked off inside his duffel bag. That is also how he knows that Charlie's sixth birthday is next week.

"What are we going to do?" He wonders aloud.

Miles is preoccupied, as he usually is these days, with digging in his bag for something. Bass watches his face light up when he finally digs out his gun oil. He tips the bottle back and forth, frowning at how light it is.

"Almost out," he mutters to himself.

Bass frowns too, the small amount they have left between them won't last much longer. What are they supposed to do when it runs out? The answer comes quickly and somewhat unwanted into his mind.

 _Go without._

It's been their silent motto for the past few months now.

You have a headache? Deal with it. The Asprins are for emergencies only.

You need to go to the bathroom? Find yourself a leaf, because the toilet paper has been gone since they left North Carolina.

You're hungry? Too bad. Making sure Charlie has enough to eat is the main priority.

Tired? We can sleep when we get to Chicago.

The blackout, that's what they've heard other people calling it, has completely destroyed what they once knew to be home. The cities aren't safe anymore. The number of dead bodies piling up has gotten even bigger, it's nearly impossible to go anywhere without finding at least a few. Poor Charlie has even gotten accustomed to seeing them. She doesn't even ask what happened to them anymore.

Bass looks over to their tent, double checking that Charlie's small silhouette is still visible inside. It is, and judging by the steady rise and fall of her chest, she's fast asleep. He looks back to Miles who now has his gun in pieces in front of him.

"What do you think we should do?" Bass asks again.

"'Bout what?" Miles doesn't even bother looking at him, his brow creased in concentration as he works his task.

"Charlie's birthday is next week."

Miles' hands freeze and he looks up at him in surprise. "It is?"

"Yeah, November 5th. She'll be six."

"Damn." Miles shakes his head, looking over at the tent where his niece is sleeping. "Has it really been that long?"

Bass doesn't answer. This is a conversation they have quite often, almost everyday really. What happened to the power? Where is the government? When will someone start doing _something_?

"We need to find her some new shoes," Miles finally says. "Her pink ones are getting to small and she's already outgrown those little slipper things she's got, she just won't let me take them out of her bag." Bass merely nods, Miles and Charlie had had that argument again just this morning.

"She'll need a new jacket too... and a coat," Bass adds. "It'll be winter soon, we should start looking now so we have it when she needs it."

Miles nods as he puts his gun back together. "It wasn't supposed to be this way."

"I know, Miles."

"She should be in school, learning how to read and... and do math and science stuff."

"I know." And it's all Bass can say because Miles is right, nothing is the way it's supposed to be anymore.

XxX

Charlie's upcoming birthday hangs over both of their heads as the days pass, though they doubt that she has any idea it's that time of year. They're glad for her ignorance because if she doesn't know, then she can't miss anything.

They habitually avoid cities on a daily basis for fear of catching diseases or running into one of the many gangs that have taken over. They try so hard to stay away from them that when Miles does steer them in the direction of tall buildings, Charlie notices immediately.

"Where are we going?" She asks, pointing up at the buildings as if she thought they might not have noticed them.

"To see if we can find you some new shoes," Miles tells her. She lights up at the idea and immediately starts to babble about her favorite kinds of shoes. Both boys just tune her out, though Bass nods his head at appropriate intervals and Miles grunts on occasion.

They don't bother with the big name box stores because they know from experience that those have already been cleaned out, though they have had some luck with small grocery stores in the past so they're hoping to find a clothing store that hasn't been picked over too much already. Steering clear of main roads, they make their way through the city without meeting any other people. More than likely, they all either died or left already. A large department store looms ahead of them and Miles leads them to it, stopping just before he opens the shattered glass door.

"OK, Charlie, we're going to go in here, but you have to remember the rules."

"Don't touch anything that looks yucky, stay away from other people, and stay where you can see me." She rattles them off like a pro, having had them drilled into her brain over the last nine months. Miles smiles and ruffles her hair.

"Alright, Bug, let's see if we can find you some shoes."

It's dark in the store because there aren't any windows, so they light some makeshift torches and start poking around. Racks that were once filled with clothes are empty, some of them knocked to the floor. A racoon jumps from behind a trash can as they pass by, making all of them jump and making Bass drop his torch.

"You got scared," Charlie giggles. He can see Miles smirking in the torchlight.

"So did you," he says back, but it only makes her laugh louder.

As they get further into the store, they find more and more racks of clothes that haven't been completely stripped clean. Maybe people were too afraid to go so far into the dark store, or maybe they just left town before they'd really looked. They find the escalator, unmoving of course, and climb it slowly.

"I wish we could ride it for real," Charlie says sadly, and neither of the boys know what to say to that. Broken escalators are just another thing to add to the list of things that they wish they could fix for her.

The kids clothes are at the top of the escalators, stairs really, and while there are quite a few empty racks and shelves, there are still some things there for them to choose from. The boys start working their way around the large room, checking for anything practical to take with them. Charlie spots a shirt with Hello Kitty on the front and immediately latches onto it like a lifeline. It's about two sizes too small for her, but Miles let's her hang onto because it makes her smile. Between the two of them they find three shirts, a sweater, and even a pair of jeans that had been knocked behind a mannequin. The jeans are little long on her, but they can roll them up until she grows into them. They hunt around some more with the hopes of finding her a winter coat, but come out with no luck.

The shoe department is back downstairs, past the picked over jewelry counters, and in the darkest corner of the store. Shoe boxes are torn apart and scattered everywhere and single shoes lie lonely on the ground. They move towards a knocked over stack of pink boxes and Charlie bends down to pick one up.

"Look Uncle Miles, light up shoes!" She smiles excitedly and Miles is actually grateful when she opens the box and finds it empty. At least he won't have to see the disappointment on her face when the shoes don't actually light up.

"Sorry, Bug. We'll have to find you something else."

She nods sadly but tosses the box back to the ground with an air of carelessness that no six year old should ever have to fake. Miles pats her head affectionately and they move on. They search around for a few minutes, but still come up empty.

"Don't they have like... a stockroom or something? You know, where they keep the extra stuff." Bass suggests half heartedly. Miles shrugs back at him.

"There was a door back by the check-out counter," Charlie tells them.

"How do you know?" Miles asks skeptically.

She rolls her eyes at him, making Bass chuckle. "Because I saw it, duh." Miles can't help but laugh too, and it feels good, it's been a while since they all had a good reason to laugh.

"Come on." He steers her back toward the counter with a smile, Bass following along behind with a big smile of his own. Sure enough, there's a door behind the counter. Miles pushes it open without a second thought, having not seen another person since they entered the town, which turns out to be a mistake.

Bright light temporarily blinds all three of them as the door swings open. Bass grabs hold of the back of Miles' jacket with one hand and reaches for Charlie with the other but can't find her. He can hear other people moving around inside the room and blinks rapidly to try and bring his eyes back into focus.

"Where's Charlie?" He asks close to Miles' ear.

"I'm right here," her scared voice sounds from somewhere to his left and he feels a tiny hand grab hold of his pant leg.

"OK, let's get out of here," Miles says. But just as Bass starts to back out of the room, dragging Miles and Charlie with him, the sound of the door slamming shut behind him stops them.

"I don't think so." A man, who Bass can basically see now, is standing way too close for comfort. "I think you should stay right here."

"Listen buddy, we don't want any trouble, so just let us leave and you'll never see us again." Miles holds his hands up, palms out, in a gesture of good faith but the man merely laughs.

"Let you leave with my stuff? I don't think so." Bass doesn't like the crazed gleam in this guy's eyes, so he let's go of Miles' jacket and puts his hand on his gun instead, ready to protect them if necessary.

"Fine," Miles says, and he starts pulling Charlie's new clothes from his bag. "Take it, but we're leaving." The man looks down at the tiny jeans and t-shirts that they had collected and then peers around Bass' back at Charlie.

"Well lookie here, we have a lady in out midst." He smiles a big creepy smile and steps closer, making Bass back up, pinning Charlie against the wall behind him with her cheek pressed against his lower back. Miles steps just in front of Bass, covering her from the man's view.

"We're leaving." Miles says, and there's a low warning to his voice that makes the whole room feel cold.

"Oh, but I don't think you are." And suddenly there are five more of them, all watching them with varying degrees of amusement.

"I think it's time we had some fun, eh boys?" The leader presses forward and Bass doesn't wait another second, he pulls his gun and points it straight at him.

"Don't move, or I will shoot." Every single one of them freezes. "Miles, get her stuff." He obeys instantly, shoving Charlie's new clothes back into his bag before reaching for his niece.

"Time to go, Charlie. Come on." Miles holds his hand out to her but Bass can feel her grip tighten on the back of his jacket. She's scared, she has every right to be, and doesn't want to move.

"It's gonna be OK, Charlie. Just go with Miles." Bass steps away from the wall a little, giving Miles and Charlie enough room to walk behind him and get to the door. His eyes never leave the men standing in the room and he waits until Miles calls for him to follow to back up towards the door as well. His back hits something hard and he feels Miles grab his shoulder to steer him the right way. Once in the doorway, Bass stares them all down with the scariest face he can muster.

"If I see any of you ever again... well, let's just hope I don't see you again." He waves his gun in a ' _or you'll wind up dead_ ' kind of way and slams the door shut.

"Let's get the hell out of here," he whispers to Miles, though it wasn't necessary. Miles already has Charlie in his arms, her own wrapped around his neck and her face full of fear as they start to run. Bass keeps his gun out, looking behind him every few feet to make sure that they aren't being followed. It isn't until they make it out into the daylight and run two blocks that they let themselves stop to take a breath.

Miles lowers Charlie to the ground and kneels down in front of her, cupping her small face in his large hands. "You OK, Charlie? Look at me, Bug, are you OK?" She nods shakily and wipes her face with her jacket sleeve. Miles pulls her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head and murmuring, "you're OK, we're all OK." Though he sounds more like he's trying to convince himself rather than her. Bass pats Miles on the back and runs his fingers through Charlie's hair soothingly, trying to reassure himself that they really are all OK.

There may be no power and they may not have gotten Charlie new shoes, but they are safe, and that at least is something.

* * *

A/N OK, there will definitely be at least one more because I want to see the boys rescue Jeremy with little Charlie there. :-D I might also do one where they meet Strausser. Though I am a little confused about him because I have this idea in my head that he was in a mental institution when the blackout happened and that he escaped afterwards... Is that from the show or did I read that in someone else's fic somewhere? (or possibly made it up, I have no clue) It's been a long time since I actually watched the show so I have no idea.


	5. Chapter 5

It's mid-November and they're somewhere in Pennsylvania. The first snow of the season has finally fallen and Charlie is delighted by stomping through the slushy snow in her new boots. Miles has attempted to stop her a few times, worried that she might ruin her new shoes, but Bass let's her be. Blackout or no, she's still just a kid. Plus, he would be lying if he said he didn't kind of enjoy it too. Charlie runs through the slush while he chases after her. Miles walks along behind them shaking his head, trying valiantly to frown disapprovingly but failing miserably.

They have been following this highway for weeks and haven't met any other people until today. This morning, they'd stumbled across a tent with two dead bodies in it. Murdered, brutally by the looks of it, and left to rot. Other than those two, they haven't seen anyone else though. Bass can't decide if it's a good thing or not. On one hand, they've been lucky enough not to run into anyone that wants to do them harm. On the other hand, he wonders if their good luck will run out soon and the people will start to catch up with them.

He's deep in those thoughts, his feet moving slowly through the slush while Charlie runs ahead, when he hears it. It's faint, but the sound of fists hitting flesh is something he's very familiar with. He looks up, only to find that Charlie has moved much farther ahead of him than they usually allow her to get. They have very strict rules about where she's allowed to go and how far. It's his own fault for not paying attention. He starts running to catch up with her so he can keep her away from whoever these people that are fighting are, but he's too late. She's already there, frozen to the spot with fear.

Bass hears it when Miles realizes that something is wrong. A low ' _damn_ ' and the sound of his large feet splashing through the half melted snow as he runs. As Bass gets closer, he can hear the grunts and groans of pain, and the laughter of the assailants. Men by the sound of it, the victim too.

He nearly crashes into Charlie when he reaches her with Miles just behind. The three of them are standing at the side of the road looking into a small clearing where someone had set up their tent to sleep. That someone is most likely the man on the ground getting the crap beat out of him. The two men beating the third seem oblivious to their audience while Bass and Miles are both to shocked to move. It isn't until the men deliver a particularly sickening kick to the third man's face, and Charlie whimpers in horror that the boys finally move.

"Stay here, Charlie. Don't move." Miles tells her and she nods quickly, her eyes riveted to bloody scene before her.

Bass looks over at the blood and then back at her. "Close your eyes, Charlie." She tears her eyes away from the men to look at him. There's fear there that no child should ever have to face. "It's alright, just close your eyes." She listens this time, slapping her hands over her face to cover her eyes.

Miles is already at the scene, drawing the attackers attention by tackling one of them to the ground and pinning him down before punching him square on the nose. The other attacker turns in shock to see what happened to his friend, not noticing Bass' presence until he's already pinned face down to the ground too.

"Get off me!" He shouts, but Bass shuts him up with a quick punch in the kidney.

The one that Miles has pinned starts wiggling desperately. "Wha' d'you wan'?" He asks, his mouth filled with the blood pouring from his nose.

"What do we want?" Miles asks incredulously. "You're the ones beating the crap out of this guy. What do _you_ want?"

Bass crains his neck to see the man that they had been beating lying on the ground. The man is groaning in pain but not trying to go anywhere anytime soon. He can't see any reason for these men to have attacked him.

"We just wanted his food," the guy beneath Miles says. "He wouldn't give it up, and... and we're hungry."

"Everybody's hungry you idiot," Miles growls at him.

Bass looks over at the poor beaten guy again and finally sees what these two morons must have been after. A can of beans is laying on the ground near what's left of the fire.

"A can of beans, seriously? You nearly beat a man to death over some beans?"

The dirt bag beneath him starts to whimper. "We're starving, dude. We didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice," he tells him angrily, and suddenly he hates this guy. Can't stand him and doesn't even want to be near him. Bass pushes himself up off of the ground roughly and looks over to Miles who is kneeling over his guy with a look of serious concentration on his face.

"Miles, we should get moving." But Miles ignores him and just keeps staring. "Miles, let's go." He finally looks up at him, a deep anger and a sense of helplessness in his eyes.

"They could have killed him. They would have if we hadn't stopped them." Miles points at the two guys who are both watching him with fearful eyes.

Bass struggles to find the right words for this. "I know, but there's nothing we can do now. It's not like we can call the cops. Let's just go." He turns, trying to force down the guilt rising in his gut at the sight of the beaten man. It's not that he doesn't want to help him, it's that they already have more mouths than they can feed, they can't afford another.

"We have to do _something_ ," Miles persists. And then Bass turns just in time to see it, Miles' hand settles on the butt of the gun strapped to his waist.

"Miles," Bass warns in a low voice. "What are you doing?"

But the gun is already out and Miles is aiming it at the two guys that had almost killed a man for a can of beans. "If we don't, then they'll just do it again," he rationalizes.

Bass is suddenly aware of two things; one is the fact that Miles is about to commit murder, the other is that the tiny hand squeezing his own belongs to Charlie. He looks down, finding her face scared and confused, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as she watches her uncle prepare to shoot two men.

"Miles," Bass warns again, though this time there's an anger there. Anger that Miles is about to take away what small amount of innocence Charlie has left. He must hear the anger in Bass' voice because he looks over at him, his face carefully blank as he stares back at him until his eyes float down to the small girl cowering at Bass' side. Miles' face softens and suddenly there's guilt radiating off of him. He takes a deep, calming breath and then looks down to the guys he's been holding at gun point.

"Get out of here. _Go!_ " And they don't need to be told twice, scrambling from the ground and running full speed away from them.

Miles slowly and carefully replaces his gun to its holster and then approaches them. Charlie steps back a little bit, like she's afraid of him, which causes Miles to sink to his knees in front of them.

"I'm so sorry, Bug. I... I don't know what I'm doing here, I just... I just want to help."

Charlie gives him a long look, her big blue eyes scanning his face. After a moment, she drops Bass' hand and runs to her uncle, circling her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "It's OK, I forgive you." He pulls her close and sighs with relief. Bass doesn't mention the tear that he sees trickle down his cheek.

The three of them are so lost in their moment that it takes a long, suffering groan coming from the beaten man to get their attention. They all moved towards him quickly, Bass going to check the wounds on his face and Miles poking gently at his bloodied chest.

"Man, they really screwed him up," Miles says.

A noise, harsh and weezy, comes from the man's mouth. "No kidding, Sherlock." Miles starts a little, clearly surprised that the guy was even conscious, nonetheless able to speak. And not just speak, but _joke_.

"What's your name, buddy?" Bass asks as he gently tries to wipe some dried blood from his mangled face. He hisses when the cloth makes contact with his raw skin.

"Jeremy. Ah, Jeremy Baker."

Miles hands Bass a thermos full of water before going back to poking his ribs. "Alright, Jeremy, let's get you cleaned up."

Charlie chooses this moment to move next to Jeremy's head. She bends down to look at his face and Bass watches Jeremy's swollen eyes take her in from upside down.

"Hi. My name's Charlie."

"Hello, Charlie." He says kindly.

She smiles really big, the kind of smile that the boys haven't seen in a long time, then drops to her knees next to Jeremy and starts digging in her pink backpack. A moment later she pulls something out and peels off the wrapper before sticking the small, Hello Kitty band-aid over a cut on Jeremy's forehead.

"There. See? It's all better now."

Jeremy smiles up at her and Bass knows right then that this guy is someone he likes. "Thanks, Charlie. I feel better already."

* * *

A/N Aww, so cute. I'm drowning myself in sickly cuteness over here, lol.

To the random guest person that was so nice to review: I honestly have no idea why Charlie is with the boys, it actually hadn't even occurred to me that it was strange until you mentioned it. I'll try to write something that explains why but for now, let's just go with a generic 'Danny was sick, they needed a babysitter.' OK? :-)


	6. Chapter 6

Picking up Jeremy turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to them. It's been about a month since he joined their little crew and since winter is now in full swing, they need all of the help they get. They all take turns watching Charlie while the others go out to forage for food. Jeremy's proved to be knowledgeable about edible plants, Boy Scouts according to him, and usually helps Miles track down dinner while Bass and Charlie take care of camp.

It feels wrong to make a child work, but having Charlie help out around camp is actually really useful. She listens really well and catches on fast. At this point, Bass would say it's a pretty safe bet that she's a better fire starter than he is. Not surprising when you consider her genius genes.

They have two tents now, thanks to Jeremy, but they only ever use the one. It's too cold for Jeremy to sleep in a tent by himself and Charlie refuses to let either Bass or Miles stay out of her direct line of sight for too long. So instead, the boys surround her and protect her while she sleeps. Miles and Bass stay on either side of her while Jeremy sleeps horizontally by their heads. She likes having all three boys within easy reach.

Despite the cold weather and the lack of food, their little group is thriving. That is until Miles gets sick.

At first, they think it might just be the squirrel they had eaten. None of them had been too sure of it at the time. But when Miles is the only one that gets sick, they're forced to think differently.

The first thing Bass does is isolate Miles from the rest of them. It tears him up to keep his brother in a tent by himself, but they can't risk all of them getting sick. Charlie hates it more than anyone else though. She's spent most of the last three days sitting outside of Miles' tent talking to him through the thin canvas.

"Do you feel better yet?" She asks. There's a childlike impatience to it that would make Bass laugh if he weren't so worried.

"Yeah, Bug," Miles' throaty voice floats through the closed tent door. "I'm sure I'll be up and moving in no time."

He sees Jeremy frown over at the tent and shake his head. Bass waves an arm to catch his attention and mouths, " _What?_ " Jeremy opens his mouth to say something but stops himself and jerks his head away from camp instead. Bass follows him just out of earshot of the tent but to a spot where he can still easily keep an eye on Charlie.

"What is it?" Bass asks him.

"It's just that... I don't know how soon Miles is going to be ready to move."

Dread fills his stomach and Bass shakes his head determinedly. "No, Miles will be fine."

"Bass, he still has a fever. He's dehydrated and he can't keep any food down. I mean, I'm not saying it's hopeless, but this doesn't look good."

"He'll be fine," Bass says stubbornly. Because the thought of Miles Matheson dying isn't even an option right now. How would he explain that to Charlie?

Oh no. _Charlie_.

He would have to take care of her by himself. They can barely manage between the two of them as it is, there's no way he can do it alone. Sure he's got Jeremy now, but it's not the same.

"Bass!" Charlie's scared voice tears him from his rabbit hole of dark thoughts and he and Jeremy turn back towards the tent, finding a black man standing no less than five feet from their littlest family member. She's still sitting next to the door of the tent, but her hand is now on the zipper as if she plans to open it and rush inside.

Bass whips his gun from his belt and points it at the newcomer. "Charlie, get over here." And luckily, she's learned when to listen because she immediately jumps up and runs to stand next to him.

The man puts his hands up in the air, his eyes wide at the sight of the gun in Bass' hands. "Whoa, easy."

"What do you want?" Bass asks harshly.

"I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I was just..."

Jeremy steps up next to Bass and pulls Charlie behind him to hide her from the man's view. "You were just, what?"

The man wilts beneath their stares and sinks to his knees. "I saw you both walk away, I just thought that I could grab some food. I didn't see the little girl until it was too late."

He wants to be angry and yell at the man to leave, but he looks so pitiful that Bass just can't bring himself to do it. "Well, we don't have any to spare, so... just get out of here." He shoos the man away, hoping that it will be enough.

But the man doesn't move. Instead, he looks right at Bass with tear filled eyes. "Please. My family... we're starving. And my son... he's sick."

Charlie's little head sticks out from behind Jeremy and Bass looks down to see her face. She's looking at the man thoughtfully, as if she can see something that no one else can.

"My Uncle Miles is sick," she tells the man quietly.

He looks at her like that's the last thing he expected her to say, but nods just the same. "My son, Jason, I don't know how much longer he'll make it without some food."

Bass feels Charlie tug on the sleeve of his coat and looks down to meet her eyes. "Are you gonna help him, Bass?" And she's doing that thing again. That thing where her lower lip trembles a little and her eyes are full of that hero worship that makes him feel like he could carry and elephant.

He sighs. When it comes to Charlie, it's practically impossible to say no. "We'll see what we can do," he tells her. Then turning to the man, he adds, "But I want to see the kid first." He wants to make sure that the kid actually exists before handing out their food.

The man's gaunt face lights up and he rises to his feet. "Of course. Thank you, thank you. Please, it's this way." He points excitedly into the woods.

Stopping, Bass turns to Jeremy. "You stay here and keep an eye on Miles and Charlie. I'll take some food and see what I can do."

Jeremy immediately frowns and leans in close to whisper. "You can't go by yourself."

"I'll be fine."

"But Uncle Miles said that we aren't supposed to go anywhere alone," Charlie protests loudly.

"Charlie, Uncle Miles is still sick, so we don't really have a choice."

Suddenly, the zipper on Miles' tent slides open and his messy haired head pokes through the small gap. His face is pale and there are dark bags under his eyes. "I'm fine," he says as he starts attempting to get up. "You... can't... go... alone." Miles staggers forward and sways, but Bass manages to catch him at the last second.

"Alright, alright. Just calm down." He grunts under Miles' weight as he all but carries him back into the tent.

The man is looking partly annoyed and partly desperate. "Why don't I just bring Jason here. Then you can see him and your friend can rest," he suggests.

Before Bass can really even nod his head yes, the guy is already disappearing into the woods. Jeremy shrugs and plops down back by the fire while Bass tries to get Miles situated again. His forehead doesn't feel quite as warm but all of the sudden movements have brought on another wave of nausea. Charlie sits at the mouth of the tent and watches worriedly as her uncle spits up more and more bile. Bass wills the stranger to bring his kid back quickly, if for no other reason than to keep Charlie from watching.

Less than five minutes later, the man is back. He's carrying a small boy wrapped in a dirty blanket and is followed by a woman who would have been pretty if it weren't for her starved appearance. She's dainty and frail looking as her husband lowers their son to the ground near the fire. Jason groans and coughs.

With the reality of a sick and dying child staring him in the face, Bass has no choice but to give them food. They feed Miles and Jason both the broth from a can of soup that Jeremy had found in a top cabinet in an abandoned house a few days ago and the rest of them eat some weird roots that he cooks in a pan over the fire. It's not exactly appetizing, but at least they have food in their bellies.

Charlie slurps down her food without a second thought, clearly having gotten used to their unfortunate food situation, and turns to the woman. "You have pretty hair," she tells her.

The woman blinks as if she thinks that Charlie might not actually be real, but then she smiles warmly. "Thank you. Not as pretty as yours though," she adds. "What's your name, sweetie?"

And that's it. Charlie's ability to make friends with anyone and everyone will be the death of them. They'll never be able to get rid of Tom, Julia, and Jason, now.

Luckily, Miles gets up the next morning feeling right as rain. They leave Jeremy with Charlie and the Nevilles to find some food and by the time they get back, Jason and Charlie are already playing My Little Ponies versus Transformers. Suffice to say, it doesn't take long for their group of four to become a group of seven.


	7. Chapter 7

It's now mid-mid-February and the winter weather shows no signs of letting up. The one year anniversary of the blackout is looming before them like a black cloud, putting the entire last year's events into disturbing perspective. They've had to fight, steal, threaten, and even harm just to survive. A year ago, the thought of killing someone outside of a war zone had been unthinkable as far as Bass was concerned. Now, reality has brought forth the possibility that it may become necessary. Miles has said more than once that he thinks they're lucky that it hasn't come to that already.

Much like Jeremy, Tom has proven to be a great asset. He's a critical thinker like Miles and the two of them get along really well. He's also great with directions. Tom and Julia have no where else to go, so they've been traveling with them to Chicago. Tom said he doesn't know for sure, but that he's pretty confident they're only a few days away from the Ohio River.

Unfortunately, the weather won't let them make the trip. All seven of them have been holed up in an abandoned house on a cul-de-sac for the past week. Food is getting low, and the four foot deep snow outside is preventing them from finding more.

"Can I go with you?" Charlie begs as Miles pulls on his boots. One look out the window shows a true blinding blizzard in full force outside.

"Sorry, Bug, but it's not safe for you to be out in this weather."

"Please," she whines. And then the tears start dripping down her cheeks. Miles keeps his eyes focused on his laces, knowing that one look at those tears will make him give in. He feels terrible for doing it, but the tears seem to be Charlie's newest trick. Eveytime she doesn't get what she wants, all she has to do is turn on the water works and Miles gives in. Not this time though.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. It's just not safe. You can stay here and play with Jason." He chances a glance at her face, finding wet tear tracks on her cheeks but no actual tears in sight. She crosses her arms over her chest with a huff.

"I don't want to play with Jason. He's a boy."

Bass, who's been watching the entire exchange from the doorway, chuckles. "Charlie, me and Uncle Miles are boys too."

She moves her hands to her little hips and shoots him a glare identical to the ones that Miles gives him on a daily basis. "Yeah, but you're _big boys._ That's different _._ And Jason's mean."

"Just because he doesn't like Hello Kitty, doesn't mean he's mean, honey." Miles tells her.

Charlie waves her hands around in Miles face angrily. "Who doesn't like Hello Kitty? I'll tell you, mean people, that's who." She crosses her arms again and gives Miles a stern look, daring him to contradict her.

Sighing, Miles shakes his head. "Well then play by yourself for a little while. Me and Bass have to go." He gets up and pulls on his coat, but as he's zipping it up, Charlie wraps her arms around his waist and holds onto him tightly.

"Don't leave me, Uncle Miles."

She's crying again, but this time he can't tell if the tears are real or not until she looks up at him and he can see how scared she really is. Miles sits back down and pulls her close against his chest. "I have to go, but I'll be back soon, OK? Me and Bass are gonna go find some food and then we'll be right back."

She sniffles against his neck. "Promise?"

"Yeah, Bug, I promise."

Charlie pulls away from him and wipes some snot from her nose with her sleeve. "Will you play My Little Ponies with me when you get back?"

Bass kneels down next to her and wipes her face off with an old bandanna and kisses her cheek. "We'll both play with you. Isn't that right Uncle Miles?"

Miles shoots him another one of those glares, the Matheson's seem to like using them on him, but nods. "Alright, dinner and Ponies it is." Charlie squeals with delight and prances off back into the warm living room, presumably to find Jason so she can brag about the boys playing with her later.

"We've really got to find her something new to play with," Miles says. "I hate those stupid horse things."

Bass silently agrees with him, but his mind is caught on something else that Charlie had said. "Miles, maybe you shouldn't go with me. You should stay here and I'll take Jeremy."

"What, why?"

"Because what if something happens to you? Then what will happen to Charlie?" Miles opens his mouth protest, but Bass holds up a hand to stop him. "Look, all I'm saying is that you're not invincible. And Charlie needs you. I mean, if something happened to you, of course I would take care of her, but she needs you. You are her family."

Miles starts shaking his head and Bass can already see the fierce denial ready to come out. "She would be fine, Bass. You heard, Tom. We're days away from Ohio, after that Chicago is just around the corner. Then she'll be back with Ben and Rachel where she belongs."

Bass simply shakes his head. He knows that Miles isn't that stupid, but he also knows that he's ignoring the truth so he doesn't have to deal with it. "Miles, how do we even know that Ben and Rachel are still there? I mean," he stops and checks the hallway behind him, dropping his voice to a whisper. "For all we know, they could have left the city. Or they might even be..." But he can't bring himself to say it out loud. The word 'dead' is too much. The idea that their little Charlie Bug's, mommy and daddy might not even be alive is unthinkable. But it's also a possibility.

"They're fine," Miles says stubbornly. Because at this point, it's all he can do. His big brother, his sister-in-law, and his delicate little nephew have to be alright, because the only alternative is explaining to Charlie that her family is just like all of the other dead people they've seen throughout their travels.

"I'm sure they are," Bass says, though they both know that they're empty words. "But maybe you should stay here anyway. Just for Charlie's sake."

Miles swallows thickly and nods, staring to pull off his many layers as Bass goes to fetch Jeremy. The other man comes into the hallway pulling on his coat. He doesn't even question why Miles has suddenly decided to stay behind, though as he leaves, he stops and says in a low voice. "I know you don't want too, but you should consider talking to Charlie about it. You've been telling her for months that we're going to Chicago to find her parents. Imagine how upset she'll be if we get there only to find that they've gone... or worse."

Miles shakes his head. "No way. How am I supposed to tell her that?"

Jeremy sets a hand on his shoulder and gives him a sad look. "I said you should warn her, I didn't say it would be easy."

Bass and Miles share a look before the boys head out into the storm raging outside. Miles knows that Bass agrees with Jeremy. Truthfully, so does he. But telling Charlie the truth makes it real, too real. He moves back into the warmth of the living room where the fire is burning brightly and Charlie is happily moving her tiny colored horses around each other in circles. She looks up at him and jumps up in shock.

"Uncle Miles, you're back already!" She runs over to hug him and Miles holds her a little longer than necessary.

"Nah, I decided not to go with them. I wanted to stay here with you instead."

Charlie smiles hugely and hops on the spot excitedly. "Do you wanna play Ponies with me now?"

He hesitates. "Sure... well, maybe in a little bit. I... I think we need to talk about something."

She frowns, sensing the uneasiness in her uncle. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just..." He sits down near the fire and pulls Charlie into his lap. "You know I love you, right Bug?" She nods seriously. "Good. And I'll always love you, no matter what, you got that?"

"Yeah." Her brows are furrowed in confusion and Miles has to look away from her face in order to get the words out. Otherwise, he knows he won't be able to tell her that she may never see her family again.

* * *

A/N This wasn't at all the chapter I planned on writing today... So I guess we'll have to wait until the next one to meet Shelly. :-D


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Just a fair warning that things are about to get a little bloody and violent.

* * *

Winter has finally broken and the sun has come out. Tom says that they are about a mile east of Columbus, Ohio, which means that they've almost reached their destination. Charlie has apparently forgiven Jason for not liking Hello Kitty, because the two of them are practically inseparable. The adults spend most of their time trying to keep the eight and six year olds out of trouble. As the two kids run and splash in the mud puddles that the spring rain has created, they discuss the looming threats around them and their options.

"I think that we should go around it like Tom said," Jeremy tells Miles.

"We've already wasted too much time because of the snow storm, we can't afford another detour."

Bass watches the two argue thoughtfully, his own decision to follow Miles wherever he goes already made.

Tom sighs exasperatedly. "Miles, you heard that poor guy yourself. There's a gang running this part of town and if we try to go through it, we could end up with missing eyes, too."

The poor man in question had stumbled across their camp the day before. He'd had a dirty t-shirt bandaged around his head to cover up his empty eye socket. According to him, he'd run into a group of men that demanded payment for his trespassing on their territory. When he didn't have anything valuable to give, they took his eye instead.

"It wasn't a gang," Miles growls. "The guy said that there were only three of them. If it were only one of us planning to go through the city, I would agree that we should go around. But there are more of us than there are of them, so we don't need to worry. It's basic instincts, you don't attack something that's bigger than you."

Bass rubs his temples wearily. They've been arguing about this for hours and neither Miles or Tom seem prepared to give in. "Miles, maybe Tom's right. If it was just the two of us I would be right there with you, but what about Charlie? We can't drag her into a war zone."

Miles shakes his head in annoyance. "We can handle it! Me and you against three weasley guys, they wouldn't stand a chance. And we have Tom and Jeremy, too. Taking a three week long detour around the city is a useless waste of time."

Looking over at the other two, Bass shakes his head. "He has a point you guys."

"No he doesn't," Jeremy says angrily. "I'm not a fighter. I can barely protect myself, not to mention anyone else."

But Miles just rolls his eyes at him. "You've been doing fine with the stuff me and Bass taught you."

"That's different! Having someone coach you through a slow motion sparring match is not the same thing as fighting for your life."

Miles opens his mouth to retort but Julia finally steps in and cuts across him. "That's enough!" She lowers her voice and looks over her shoulder to check and make sure that the children are occupied before continuing. "Miles, I know how badly you want to find your brother, but this is just too risky. I am not taking my son through a city where people are being dismembered because they stepped on the wrong sidewalk. Now you can either go around with us, or risk walking through by yourself and getting Charlie hurt in the process."

He glares at her before turning angrily to Bass. "And you? Are you gonna side with them?"

"It's not that simple, Miles. We have to think about Charlie."

"I am thinking about Charlie!" He shouts. "That's all I've done since the power went out! I'm just trying to get her home, where she belongs. Don't you see that?" The adults around him go quiet as Miles slumps down onto the ground with his face in his hands. "She needs to go home," he mumbles into his hands.

"Uncle Miles?" Charlie approaches her sitting uncle cautiously, her face full of worry. "What's wrong?"

He swipes at his face quickly with his shirt sleeve and turns to her with a big, fake smile. "It's nothing, honey. I'm fine."

Charlie stares at him with her big blue eyes, her face unchanging. "I thought you said that lying was bad."

His head drops back between his knees. "I'm sorry, Bug. There's just a lot of stuff going on right now."

She sits down next to him and puts a hand gently on his arm. If it weren't for the fact that she was so small, you might think that she was already an adult. "It's OK. You can tell me, I promise I won't cry."

Miles stares down at her and everyone else watches as the uncle and niece appear to have an entire conversation without saying a single word. Finally, Miles nods down at her. "I think it's going to take a little longer for us to get to your parents house. We have to go all the way around the city because it isn't safe to go through it."

Charlie stays quiet for a moment, but then nods understandingly. "OK. I can wait."

They all watch the fight drain out of Miles at her words. "OK. We can wait."

The walk around Columbus is long and boring. They pass a few other people, though they all seem to be families that are moving in the opposite direction that they are. They make camp in a townhouse and set a watch schedule, though the night passes without incident. The next day passes just as smoothly, same as the next one. It isn't until their fourth day of the Columbus detour that everything goes wrong.

Bass is in the lead with Charlie, followed by Jeremy and Jason, then Miles, then Tom and Julia. Charlie's talking his ear off about a snail she found earlier when they stopped for lunch and he's just smiling and nodding because she's so adorable that he can't help it. Then Julia starts screaming. Everyone turns around at the same time. Jeremy's grabbing for Jason and Bass yanks Charlie towards him instinctively, though it doesn't do them any good. The men that have grabbed Julia are not alone. Bass keeps Charlie close as he looks around them. They've been surrounded by no less than twenty people. They all look dirty and hungry looking. Not just for food, but blood. These people are the savages that the blackout has created.

Tom runs at the men holding his wife without a second thought. "Get your hands off her!"

"Tom, wait!" Miles, who is the only one not currently protecting a child, grabs him bodily from behind and yanks him back from the bloodthirsty men. Tom flails against him.

"Let me go. JULIA!"

They watch her struggle with the men holding her by her arms as an older man steps forward. His hair it matted with dirt and grime, and his teeth look like he didn't brush them even before the power went out.

"Hello, friends," he says.

Tom breaks free of Miles' grip and tries to run after his wife again, only to be pulled back by Jeremy. He's got one arm wrapped around Jason and the other hand latched onto Tom's belt to prevent him from escaping. Bass moves himself and Charlie towards them slowly and squashes the two children between them. Miles' eyes rake over the scene before him, checking that the kids are safe, looking for exits, sizing up the enemy. He turns back to the old man with a scowl.

"I don't think we're going to be friends."

The man laughs humorlessly. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"What do you want from us? We don't have anything worth taking."

The man picks at his fingernails looking extremely bored by their presence, but then turns to Julia with smile. "Oh, but I think you do." He runs his fingers over her cheek and she flinches away in disgust.

"Don't touch me, you filthy animal."

But he merely chuckles and pulls her hair. "A fighter. I like that."Tom has finally stopped struggling against Jeremy, though now he looks ready to kill. Miles steps in front of Tom as a silent way of telling him to let him do the talking.

"Keep your hands off of her, and I'll let you live," Miles tells the old man. Bass feels the weight of the truth in his brothers words. This is it. The time for mercy has finally ended.

"You, kill me?" The man laughs. "No one can kill me. I am the king, and the king gets what he wants. Now I want this woman."

"Well you can't have her. She's coming with us." Bass looks around them and notices that as Miles has been arguing, the circle around them has gotten smaller and smaller. He feels Charlie shaking against him and grabs her hand to squeeze it reassuringly.

The 'king' looks around at his men surrounding them. "Nah, I think that my men will kill all of you and that I'll keep this woman as my prize. What do you boys think?" He asks the group surrounding them.

Their response is to attack.

Bass' only option is to push Charlie to the ground and crouch over her as the men close in. He can sense rather than feel Jason nearby and shoves the boy beneath him as well while he pulls out his gun. Miles is four feet away, fighting off three guys at once with his KA-BAR. Jeremy is trying valiantly to fight against two men with nothing but his fists, but isn't faring well. Tom is a blur of fury. He's already knocked out three guys and is working on number four when an ear splitting scream breaks through the air. It takes him a second to realize that it came from Charlie.

One of the attackers has grabbed her by the ankle and is attempting to pull her out from under him. Bass doesn't think. He just pulls the trigger. Blood erupts from the center of the dirt bags chest and he falls to his knees. Charlie scrambles away from the dead man, tears and blood streaming down her terrified face. Bass pulls her back to him roughly and shouts over the noises that the people around them are making. "Jason, hold onto her, and don't let go!"

Jason, small and terrified, nods and clings to her like his life depends on it. Charlie wraps her arms and legs around him and burries her face in his neck. Satisfied that she's about as safe as she'll get right now, Bass sits up and looks around him. Miles has been pulled away from the main group to a fight with four others. He has a nasty gash on his cheek, but he's still moving. Tom has fought his way towards Julia and is in the process of knocking out the remaining guy that's still trying to hold her hostage. Jeremy though, is in trouble. There are three guys crowded around him and he's stuck on the ground, crouched in the fetal position. Bass aims and fires, killing two of them and wounding the third.

As the ring of the gunshots fades, silence fills the air. Miles has finished off the last of his opponents and Tom is supporting a shaken looking Julia. Charlie and Jason slowly sit up, their arms still wrapped around each other. Everyone takes turns looking at each other, checking each person for injuries in the silence. Then Julia spots Jason with Charlie, both of them now covered in the blood from her attacker.

"Oh my God." She runs over and hugs them both, knocking their heads together as she does it. "Are you guys OK?" She's running her hands over their faces and chests, checking them for injuries. For a second, Bass wonders why Miles isn't there with her, but then he notices what his brother is doing.

Miles is crouched over the old man's body. The self proclaimed 'king' is wheezing heavily as blood forms around his lips. "Please," he begs quietly. And Bass can see it in Miles' face. The hatred and disgust for what just happened is too strong to let it go, so Miles thrusts his knife up through the man's ribs and into his heart.

It only takes a second after that for Miles to turn and run for his niece. He skids to a halt in front of her on his knees and crushes her against his chest. Neither of the Matheson's say anything, but everyone can see how grateful they are that everyone's alright. Charlie lifts her head from Miles' shoulder and looks directly at him, pulling him towards her with her eyes. When Bass gets close enough, she reaches for his hand and squeezes it reassuringly. The seven of them all crowd around Miles and Charlie in what can only be described as a group hug. Little Jason pats his father on the arm and says, "I guess Miles was right. We should have just gone through Columbus. Huh, Dad?"

Tom stares down at his son in disbelief, making everyone else chuckle. "Yes, son. Next time, we'll go with Miles' plan."

"I'll remember that," Miles says as he gets to his feet.

Julia laughs at that too, before she gets a good look at Miles' face. "Oh, no. You're definitely going to need stitches."

He touches his cheek gingerly, wincing when his fingers come back bloody. "It's just a scratch. We can bandage it up and it'll be fine."

"I don't know, Miles. It looks pretty bad." Bass tells him.

He shrugs. "It doesn't matter. We don't have the stuff to stitch it up anyway. Don't worry about it."

Jeremy turns to their fallen attackers. "What about them? They have to have some stuff around here somewhere."

Tom nods and moves to one of the men that was only knocked unconscious. He stands over the man and slaps his cheeks to wake him up. The guy jerks awake and cringes beneath Tom's angry stare. "Where is your camp?"

"I - I don't know what you're talking about."

Tom kicks him hard in the ribs and listens to him squeal. "Answer the question."

"Please, I - I don't know."

Miles stomps forwards and pushes Tom aside, bending down to get right in the guys face. "Tell me where your camp is."

The stupid guy's face turns a nasty shade of green, but he points over his head in the direction of the city. "That way. Not far."

Miles cracks his elbow over the guy's face and stands upright again. "Come on, they might have gathered some good stuff from all of the people that pass through here."

They opt to bring Julia and the kids with them rather than leaving them somewhere else, especially after what just happened. Ten minutes later, they come across a street that's full of cages and animal pens. Chickens and pigs line the road in front of them. Halfway down the line, they find an open store front with an empty cage sitting in the display window. They move inside and find a living room of sorts with fires still burning, presumably for the group of men that had planned on returning home with Julia as their prize.

"I don't like it here," Charlie whispers.

Bass takes her hand and nods. "Yeah, me either."

Miles looks back at them and then at a set of stairs that lead to the second floor. "Bass, why don't you and Charlie stay down here and we'll check out the upstairs." He shoots him a look that says _'because she's already seen enough today'_ and Bass nods in agreement. Everyone else heads upstairs while he and Charlie move towards what looks like a makeshift kitchen so they can sit down. He lifts her to sit on a table and looks over her dirty, blood stained face.

"Here, let's get you cleaned up." He wets one of his old bandannas with water from his thermos and proceeds to wipe the dirt and blood from her face. "There. Feel any better?"

She nods slowly. "That was scary."

"I know, honey. Fighting is always like that."

"I don't like fighting."

Bass kisses her forehead gently and whispers, "me either."

Out of nowhere, a faint thumping can be heard around the room. Bass reaches for his gun and looks around, not seeing any source for the noise. It stops for a moment.

"What was that?" Charlie whispers, but before he can shush her, it starts again. Bass follows the sound around the room, finding himself standing in front of a door that reads 'OFFICE.' He yanks the door open and points his gun into the dark space. At first he can't see anything, though he can hear the thumping better now as well as someone's harsh breathing. He grabs a candle from a nearby table and moves slowly into the room, nearly dropping the candle when he finds the source of the noise.

A woman, wearing nothing but an overlarge, dirty shirt, is tied up and gagged in a cage. She flinches at the sight of him and scrambles back away from the door of her small cage. Bass can't believe what he's seeing. A woman, a human being, in a _cage_. He hurries to set the candle on the desk in the room and crouches in front of it. "It's OK. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to help."

Her large, brown eyes stare at him for a long time before she slowly nods. There's a lock on the door, but all he has to do is knock the small thing off with the butt of his gun. He pulls the door open and slowly moves to take the gag out of her mouth. She looks at him carefully.

"Are you... one of _them?"_ She croaks.

"No. I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise." Bass gently works the knot tied around her ankles and then moves to her hands before moving away from the cage to give her some room to get out. It takes him a minute to realize that Charlie is standing next to him, watching the woman with interest. She climbs uneasily to her feet and clutches the desk for support.

"Are you OK?" Charlie asks her quietly.

The woman looks at her startled, apparently only just noticing that the little girl was there. She nods slowly. "I think so."

She tries to walk forward on shaky legs but collapses into herself after just one step. Bass rushes to catch her but she shrieks in fear and anguish the moment he touches her. "Get off of me!"

"Easy, easy." He backs up fast, a little afraid by the sudden change. Charlie steps forward before he can stop her, though it doesn't seem to matter because the woman let's her get close enough to touch her shoulder.

"It's alright," Charlie tells her gently. "Bass is a good guy. He won't hurt you."

The woman stares at Charlie as if in a trance. "Who are you?"

Smiling, Charlie sits down on the floor next to her new friend. "Well, my name is Charlie. And that's Bass." She points over at him happily. "And my Uncle Miles is upstairs with Jeremy and Mr. Tom, and Ms. Julia, and Jason. But he's a boy, so you don't wanna talk to him. Jeremy says that boys have cooties."

Bass can't help but groan, momentarily distracted by the continued agrument. "Charlie, how many times do we have to tell you, cooties aren't even real."

She crosses her arms over her little chest and huffs at him. "Jeremy says that that's exactly what boys _want_ you to think."

The woman looks from Charlie to Bass and gives a shaky laugh, then stops abruptly and covers her mouth as if she can't believe that she made the sound. "It's OK to laugh at Bass, Uncle Miles does it all the time." Charlie tells her. Then she tilts her head and looks up at the woman's face. "What's your name?"

Slowly removing her hand from her mouth, the woman looks down at Charlie. "Shelly. My name is Shelly."

Charlie just smiles up at her and Bass would be willing to swear on it at that moment that she could literally kill people with her cuteness. "Shelly, do you like Hello Kitty?"

Shelly frowns looking confused, but then simply shrugs. "Who doesn't like Hello Kitty?"

Charlie throws her hands up in the air excitedly. "Exactly!"

"Charlie, who are you talking to?" Miles' voice calls out from the main room and Charlie gets excitedly to her feet. "Uncle Miles, look, look, look! Me and Bass found a lady..." And she runs out of the room, blabbering to her uncle about her new friend.

Bass looks over at Shelly who's smiling after Charlie in an amused sort of way. "She's like that all the time. You get used to it," he tells her.

Shelly looks up at him, her face still a little wary though she doesn't seem nearly as afraid as she did. He offers her a hand to help her up and watches her eyes flick to it uncertainly. "It's OK. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise."

* * *

A/N So this one totally got away from me lengthwise. Oh, well. Shelly has arrived and yes, Charlie likes her. I feel like having a six year old hate someone for being a love interest to a man that she won't marry for another fifteen years is a little ridiculous, so the girls will be friends. Plus, remember that Bass will be losing Shelly, so it would be silly to have them fight over him. (As well as five hundred other reasons a six year old and a grown woman shouldn't fight over a guy. :-))


	9. Chapter 9

Shelly's inclusion in their group has its ups and downs. On one hand, Miles and Bass are grateful for another female presence in Charlie's life. Especially when they consider the harsh world she's being forced to grown up in. But on the other hand, it also sets back their time line quite a bit.

Physically, she's fine. She has a few cuts and bruises and she's way under fed, but they don't think there will be any lasting damage. At least not on the outside. Mentally and emotionally, she's a wreck. The things that she endured as those bastard's prisoner have marked her for life. Even after weeks of being free, she won't let any of the men except for Bass get anywhere near her. There have been a few incidents where Shelly has grabbed the nearest rock or any type of weapon to defend herself from Miles or Jeremy's non-existent attacks.

Traveling with a mentally unstable and recovering woman has proven to be impossible. Constantly moving her around isn't helping her at all, so Miles makes the executive decision to find a good spot and set up camp for a while.

That was two months ago.

"Uh, Bass... Who are those people over there?" Miles asks as he points to a man and a teenage boy setting up a tent not far from their own.

Bass inwardly cringes and tries to act casual. "Oh, that's Collin and his son CJ."

Miles gives him a _'what the fuck'_ look and waves his arms around at their already crowded camp.

Sighing, Bass sets down the pair of pants he'd been trying to mend and walks out of earshot of their new friends, motioning for Miles to follow. They stand beneath a large oak tree and look around at their camp. Their own tent, which they still share with Charlie and Jeremy, is pitched right next to the Nevilles'. Shelly is on their other side in Jeremy's spare tent. The fire pit sits right into front of their tent and on the opposite side of it, sits the rest of their many new friends. Over the past two months, three families and two loners have settled down in their camp. It turns out that safety in numbers is more true than any of them could have ever imagined.

"Don't we have enough people here already?" Miles whispers angrily.

"I didn't have a choice, Miles. Their daughter is sick, what was I supposed to say?" He drops his voice to mimick his friend. "Nope, sorry. All full here, gotta take that sick kid someplace else." He gives Miles a look that says _'like that was really gonna happen.'_

Miles' eyes go huge. "Daughter? There's more of them?"

Wincing, Bass scratches at the stubble that's already growing back in on his face again. "Yeah, Collin's daughter and his wife... and his younger son."

"I'm going to kill you."

"Give me a break, Miles. There's already seventeen extra people here, another five bodies won't hurt anything."

But Miles just shakes his head as Charlie and a boy even younger than her run past them. "Run, Dylan, run! He's gonna get us!" She and the little boy go flying past at lightning speed towards the camp as Jason comes stomping out of the trees.

"Rwar! I'm gonna eat you!" Charlie and Dylan scream and run around in circles while Jason chases after them waving his arms wildly. The sight of Charlie laughing and playing like an actual child instantly brings a smile to Miles' lips.

"See?" Bass elbows him playfully in the ribs. "Charlie's having fun already, you should lighten up a bit." He steps away from Miles and heads back towards camp. "I'm gonna go check on Shelly and see if she needs anything. Maybe you should go introduce yourself to out new friends."

Miles glares at him as he walks away. "Yeah, right."

In front of Shelly's tent, Bass knocks awkwardly on the canvas siding. "Shelly, can I come in?"

Her voice, soft and quiet, floats back to him. "Yeah, it's OK."

He let's himself in and finds her in her usual spot. She sits directly across from the door with her back against the wall. She watches him carefully, though Bass does no more than what he usually does. These visits into her tent have become a regular thing. Shelly isn't comfortable around all of the people that have joined their camp so she usually spends most of her time inside. Bass makes it a point to sit with her for a little while everyday. Charlie does too, when dinner rolls around, she usually brings Shelly her food and the two sit and talk about unicorns... or whatever it is that girls talk about when they're alone.

"How are you?" He asks quietly.

She s give him a small smile. "You don't have to do this, Bass."

"Do what, what do you mean?"

"You don't have to come talk to the poor crazy girl. I'm fine. Really."

Bass leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I don't think you're crazy."

Shelly shakes her head at him. "Then what do you want from me?" She asks, her voice sounding a little angry.

He gapes at her, confused by the direction this conversation is going. "I don't want anything. I just came to make sure you were alright. Is everything OK?"

She scoffs and mutters under her breath, "men."

Oh. That.

Bass rises to leave the tent with a pit in his stomach. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." Before he's got the tent flap open, Shelly stops him.

"Wait, I didn't... I didn't mean-" She sighs and shakes her head. "I'm just... I'm sorry."

Bass sits down again and very slowly reaches out to take her hand. She flinches slightly, but doesn't pull away. He looks into her deep brown eyes and smiles. "You don't have to apologize for anything. But you were right, I did want something when I came in here."

Her eyebrows furrow and her face turns a little suspicious. "What?"

"I just wanted to talk," he says smiling. "That's all."

Shelly huffs out a laugh and rolls her eyes. " _Men_." Though this time, there isn't nearly as much bite to it.

* * *

A/N Accidentally a little Bass/Shelly here? It was totally unintentional, I assure you. Don't worry though, she won't be around much longer. :-D


	10. Chapter 10

As the cold weather starts to seep in again, the camp - which has now grown to over seventy people - finds itself faced with many issues. Food shortages and supply use are some of the major ones, but one of the big problems that no one had really anticipated is how to deal with the kids when they're locked up all winter long with nothing to do.

Lucky for them, Shelly holds the answer.

Before the blackout, she worked as a school teacher at an elementary school. The whole thing started with Charlie wanting someone to read with other than Uncle Miles and Shelly - recovered, but still a little touchy - was happy to have something to distract her. Soon the reading evolved into writing, which evolved into math, which turned into history and science.

Before they knew it, Charlie was spending all morning and part of the afternoon with Shelly while the two of them played school. Fortunately for them, Charlie didn't realize that by playing school she was actually putting herself in school. It gave the boys the freedom to hunt and scout for supplies without having to worry about what she was doing or who she was with. And before long, the entire camp wanted Shelly to teach their kids as well.

The oak tree at the edge of camp became known as 'the learning tree'. The kids around camp usually meet Shelly there after breakfast and they work through the mornings with whatever books the boys manage to scrounge up for them. After several trips to local schools and libraries, they've collected quite a bit of textbooks and literature. Shelly loves working with the kids and they all love her. It's very rare that they have an issue during school, but when there is one, it almost always involves Charlie. She's grown to really love Shelly as a member of their family and even though the two girls spend most afternoons together, just the two of them, Charlie tends to get a little jealous when Shelly has to work with some of the other children. And unfortunately, she tends to express herself in typical Miles Matheson fashion.

"Go on, go tell her." Miles says.

Charlie turns back to her uncle with wide eyes. "Do I have to?"

Miles rolls his eyes and ushers her forward with Bass trailing behind. "Yes, now go apologize." He nudges her in Shelly's direction and the soon to be seven year old finally moves. She approaches Shelly, who is sitting beneath the large oak tree reading, and picks awkwardly at the ground with her shoe.

"Hi, Shelly," she mumbles.

The woman puts her book down and looks up at the little girl with a warm smile. "Hello, Charlie."

Charlie turns back to look at her uncle again, scowling when he waves his arms in a _'get on with it'_ kind of way. She huffs and says quickly, "I'm sorry I said that learning is stupidShelly and that books are dumb."

Shelly bites back a smile and nods. "It's alright, sweetie. I forgive you."

Charlie sighs a big sigh of relief and turns quickly to Miles again. "Can I go play now?"

Miles rolls his eyes but waves his arms. "Yeah, go on, get out of here." She runs off towards Jason's tent. "But don't go far!" He yells after her. She holds a thumbs up high in the air for him to see.

Miles turns to Bass deliberately ignoring Shelly watching them from her tree. "Well, glad that's done. Now I need to-"

"Oh, no you don't," Bass grumbles, pushing Miles in Shelly's direction.

"Do I have to?" Miles whines. But Bass just shoves him towards her, making him stumble awkwardly.

Shelly smiles up at him. "Thank you for having her apologize, Miles. I appreciate it."

He smiles, though it's more like a grimace, and scratches his head. "Yeah, about that... I just wanted to say that..." He trails off, looking to Bass who gives him a _'just do it already'_ look. "I'm sorry too. It was kinda my fault that she said it, she heard it from me."

Closing her book, Shelly gets to her feet with a smile. "It's OK, Miles. Don't worry about it, really."

He whistles happily and looks over to Bass. "Great! Does that mean I can go now?"

Grinning, Bass shoos his friend away. "Yeah, yeah, go play. Miles growls at him but doesn't protest as he flees the scene.

Now alone, Shelly turns to Bass. "You didn't have to make them apologize. I'm not some delicate little flower, I can handle a little criticism."

He shrugs and wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her temple. "I know that, I just... Look, they're my family and if you and I are gonna be - whatever we are - then I want you to be comfortable with them."

Shelly bites her lip thoughtfully. "And here I was thinking that we were just tent neighbors."

Bass wraps his arms fully around her and pulls her close. "Well, I was kind of hoping that maybe we could move on to tent roommates."

She smiles and presses a light kiss to his lips. "I think I'd like that."


	11. Chapter 11

It's finally spring again. The winter was long and hard. Their camp of nearly eighty people has dropped to sixty due to lack of food and medicine because of it. But with the sun shining again there's new hope all around them. Everyone around camp seems happier, everyone except for Miles.

"Bass, I'm serious. Just a few of their cows and we would be set until next year," Miles says.

Shaking his head, Bass lowers his voice as they walk through camp. "Miles, we can just go around attacking other camps and stealing their stuff. We aren't savages."

But Miles shakes his head roughly. "We lost twenty people over the course of four months because we didn't have enough food. The camp on the other side of the river has plenty to spare, they won't even notice."

"Miles, just stop. It's springtime, we've got months before we need to worry about that again. You need to relax, man."

"How am I supposed to relax when we have to worry about all of these people?"

Bass stops in front of the tent that he and Shelly share which is of course right next to Miles and Charlie's. "We'll figure it out later. For now, let's just focus on the girls."

They enter the small space with its tiny cot and three legged table. There's a vanity that Bass found and drug all the way here for Shelly to use as well. It's her favorite piece of furniture. The woman herself is standing at the three legged table folding clothes that are fresh off the clothes line. The tiny, faded pink shirt is obviously Charlie's.

Shelly smiles as Bass comes right up to the table for a kiss and starts to help her fold the clothes. "Hey, how did it go out there?" She asks.

Miles ignores the laundry and plops himself down onto Bass and Shelly's bed with a groan. "It was terrible," he whines to Shelly. "Those idiots can't hit anything."

Bass shakes his head with a smile as he folds one of his and Miles' t-shirts. "They aren't that bad. Jeremy's actually pretty good and Collin just needs a little practice." He lays the shirt down onto a pile of clothes that he and Miles typically share. "But forget them, what did you and Charlie do?"

"Well, we finished _Stuart Little_ and worked on some geography, and she even made her best time on her multiplication test today." Shelly tells them proudly.

Miles scoffs but says nothing, he's already had Shelly chew him out on more than one occasion for his disinterest in Charlie's education. She narrows her eyes in Miles' direction but keeps her mouth shut as well. Noting the tension in the room, Bass asks, "where is Charlie, anyway?"

Miles lifts his head interestedly, as if he's only just noticed that she isn't there. "Yeah, I told her we could go to the river and look for frogs today."

"YAY!" Charlie pops up from behind the bed that he's laying on excitedly, making him jump and tumble off the side onto the hard ground. She scrambles over the bed and sits heavily on her uncle's stomach. "Are we gonna go look for frogs now?"

Bass and Shelly are both trying to hide their laughter behind their hands as Miles stares up at his niece in confusion.

"What we're you doing behind the bed?"

"I was practicing my hiding," she says simply.

Miles shakes his head slowly, pushing her off of him so he can sit more comfortably on the ground. "What are you hiding from?"

Charlie rolls her eyes hugely, a move that she's learned straight from him. "The zombies. Duh."

Miles blinks down at her and then looks over to Bass and Shelly. Bass looks about as confused as he feels, though Shelly is bent over clutching her big pregnant belly and shaking with silent laughter.

Close to laughing himself, Miles ruffles his niece's hair. "What are you talking about Bug, there aren't any zombies."

She swats his hand away from her head and looks at him seriously. "Yeah there are. They're gonna come out of the ground and eat our brains."

His smile falters. "Charlie, there's no such thing as zombies."

"Yeah, huh! Jeremy said that all the dead people burried in the field are gonna come back to life and come get us 'cause they're mad that they died, so we have to practice hiding so they can't find us."

Miles stares at her anxious little face, torn between amusement and anger at Jeremy for putting this idea in her head. "Sweetheart, listen, zombies aren't real-"

She stands up and starts waving her arms around urgently. "Yes they are, and they're gonna come get us and we're all gonna die 'cause their gonna suck out brains out of our noses!" She stops flailing for a second and turns to look at Bass, whose face is brick red from the effort of not laughing. "But don't worry Bass, zombies don't eat pregnant ladies, so Shelly and Bass Junior are safe. I asked Jeremy and made sure."

Shelly stops laughing abruptly and turns to glare at her husband. "I told you, I am not naming my son Bass Junior. For all we know it could be a girl."

Charlie shakes her head at Shelly like she thinks the older woman is just being silly. "No, it's a boy. Jeremy said so."

Miles groans, wondering yet again if saving the other man's life had been a huge mistake. "Charlie, Jeremy isn't right about everything. The baby could be a girl and there's no such thing as zombies."

She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs at her uncle. "Jeremy said that the non-believers are always the first ones to go." And with that, she marches out of the tent, leaving Miles sitting confusedly in her wake.

He sighs and shakes his head. "I'm gonna kill him this time." Ignoring Bass and Shelly, he gets to his feet, still mumbling, "I'm really gonna kill him."

"Miles," Bass calls after him but gets ignored as he leaves the tent. "Miles, hang on a sec!" He moves to follow his best friend but is stopped by his wife's hand on his arm.

"Where do you think you're going? You just now got home."

Bass looks from the tent flap where Miles just disappeared and back to his very pregnant, and possibly about to be angry, wife. "I have to go make sure that Miles doesn't _actually_ kill his other best friend."

Shelly narrows her eyes at him but then turns back to the laundry, deliberately not looking at him. "Fine, go. I'll just stay here and do all of the laundry and cook dinner, and grow another human all by myself!"

Bass stops and wraps his arms around her and their growing child, resolutely ignoring the yelling that he can hear from the other side of camp that sounds suspiciously like it's coming from Miles and Jeremy. "I'm sorry, OK? Let me go get him really quick and then I'll be right back and I will finish this laundry by myself and I'll even make dinner. OK?"

She turns her head a little to look at him out of the corner of her eye. The look she's giving says that she is not impressed.

"And how about I give you a foot rub, too." He adds quickly.

She tilts her head from side to side as if considering the offer. "Alright, fine. Go get your idiot, but then I want you right back here."

Kissing her swiftly on the cheek, Bass is already out the tent flap as he yells back to her. "I'll be five minutes, I promise." Though as he nears the site of Miles sitting on Jeremy's back with a frog in his hand and the clear intent to shove it down Jeremy's shirt, Bass thinks it might be a little longer than that.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N There are a few brief mentions of suicide here, so just be warned. I skipped Shelly's actual death because in my head it happens exactly the same way it did in the show, so this is just the aftermath.

* * *

The cool water flows through his fingers in a rush of red swirls. His bloodied hands are hard to make out in the cloudy water below him. In the distance, Miles and Jeremy are screaming for him, though Bass pretends not to hear. His breathing is slow and deep, like his body is deliberately trying to keep itself under control while his brain tries to comprehend the end of his life.

Not in the literal sense. He is still breathing. He can still feel the _thump, thump_ of his heart in his chest, even though he's sure he no longer needs it. Shelly and the baby are both gone. Dead. Just like his mom and dad. Just like his sisters.

What's life without a family? A life wasted.

That's what he is now. Bass Monroe, a waste of man with nothing left. No one to love, no one to love him back.

"Bass!"

Miles' voice is getting louder, his footsteps coming closer. He's torn between running as far away from here as he can get and just dunking his head in that nice, cool water. Just for a little while, and then they can all be together again.

"Bass!"

And there's Jeremy. He's coming close from the other side and now Bass is trapped. He can't do this, not again.

"Bass!"

The blood is dried on his skin and will require more scrubbing than he has the energy to do. Plus, he's not entirely sure that he wants it to go just yet. It is the only part of them that he has left.

"Bass!"

His heart rate rises and he can feel the organ pumping blood throughout his body as he gets to his feet. He turns to flee but he apparently took too long in deciding whether to run or just end it there, because Miles is suddenly before him.

The other man takes one look at his face, tear stained and covered with dried blood, and shakes his head. "Bass... Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

His body feels numb as Miles pulls his red stained shirt over his head and starts to scrub at the stains on his skin. At some point, Jeremy arrives with a bucket of warm water and some clean clothes. He's stripped down to nothing right there next to the river, though he barely notices. His eyes have found the camp across the river. It's hidden through the trees but their fires are burning brightly in darkness.

His mind drifts back to Shelly as Miles leads him into the river to rinse off. Shelly, bloody and broken. Their baby, who never even got to see the world outside of the womb. Both of them will be burried in the field with all of the others. His wife and unborn child will rest forever amongst the starved and forgotten.

It didn't have to be this way. Maybe if they had had some medicine or some more food she could have been healthier and this wouldn't have happened. It's all his fault. His family needed him to provide for them, and he failed. It's all his fault.

Miles is pulling a pair of worn jeans up over his hips as Jeremy tugs a shirt down over his chest. Bass looks down at his hands and finds that the blood has been washed away, but the memory is still there. He knows right then that he will never be free again. He will spend the rest of his life trying to correct this injustice.

The boys guide him back into camp which passes in a blur. They stop at Jeremy's tent and lead Bass inside.

"Why don't you go watch Charlie and I'll stay with him," Miles tells Jeremy.

"Are you sure?" Jeremy's voice drops even lower. "Maybe we should take turns watching him."

But he can see Miles shaking his head. "No, I've got him. Just go take care of Charlie. Leave her with Julia if you need a break."

Jeremy disappears from view and the world slants as Miles pushes him back onto the cot. "Just sleep, Bass. Everything's going to be OK."

But he can't sleep. He isn't sure if hours pass by or if it's merely a minute, but when he sits up, Bass finds Miles asleep on the ground next to him. He can't stop thinking about the other camp.

Do they have medicine?

How much food do they really have?

How much of it can he take in one trip?

Their field now holds twenty-two bodies. That's twenty-two, too many. The other camp has everything that they need to prevent adding more to that number. The only option is to take it.

He moves silently. Years of training and experience shutting down those emotional parts of his brain that aren't useful and letting a cool calm take over. Jeremy's gun is stashed beneath the cot and he grabs it, checks the clip, and leaves without disturbing his sleeping friend.

The walk through camp is a silent one. The full moon is hanging bright in the sky. If it weren't for the darkness in his heart, it would be a beautiful night.

The patter of light footsteps goes unnoticed until they're right behind him and a small hand is wrapped around his wrist. Charlie is standing in the middle of camp wearing one of Miles' t-shirts as a nightgown and no shoes. Her eyes are wide and confused, her mouth tilted into a frown.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to do something. Go back to bed." The coldness in his voice makes him inwardly cringe, though he turns and trudges on anyway.

Her hand grabs at the back of his shirt quickly and he can hear the anxiety settling into her voice. "What's wrong?" She sounds scared. "Where's Uncle Miles?"

Biting back the anger rising in his chest, he yanks himself out of her grip and walks away again.

"Bass, wait!" And now he can hear the tears in her voice. "What's going on? Why are you mad?" He looks back at her and sees the fat tears streaming down her cheeks.

He says nothing. He can't. Instead, they just stare. Hours pass, or maybe it's just minutes, before Charlie moves closer again. She ignores the gun he's holding in his hand and wraps her arms around his waist, pillowing her head against his stomach.

He can feel the sobs working their way out of him. The way his breathing constricts and his vision blurs with tears. Charlie leans back to look at his face, her eyes full of sorrow that doesn't fit on a seven year olds face.

"Julia said that Shelly had to go away on a trip," Charlie says quietly. "But she didn't go on a trip, did she?"

The gun drops to the ground and the sobs he's been trying so hard to hold in come flowing out like a waterfall. He falls backward and lands flat on his back as his body shakes with every difficult breath. He almost doesn't notice the small hand wrapped in his or the fingers gently combing through his hair, but Charlie's presence is probably the only thing that keeps him from grabbing the gun and ending it all right then and there.

It seems like they lay there for a long time before he realizes how cold he is and thinks about how cold Charlie must be. He sits up with her partially in his lap, her eyes are glued to his own and it's almost like he can hear her question before she asks it out loud again.

"No, Charlie. Shelly didn't go on a trip. She's dead."

To her credit, she doesn't start to cry right away. "What about Bass Junior?"

He can't bring himself to say it again, so he just shakes his head. She seems to understand though since she wraps her arms around his neck in a tight hug, wet tears sliding down his neck. When she finally pulls away from him, there's a moment where he realizes that not only has his entire life just changed - again - but that her little bubble of a world has just been officially popped. He and Miles are now once again her only guides in life.

His eyes flit down to the gun laying next to them and he cringes at the sight of it.

What had he been thinking?

What the hell had he been planning on doing with that?

Bass looks back at Charlie who is scowling at the gun as if it personally offended her. "I don't like it when you and Uncle Miles have to fight," she tells him.

He sighs and brushes some of her wild curls out of her face. "I know. But I'm not gonna fight tonight."

She nods slowly and lays her head on his chest. "Can we go home then?"

Sliding her off of his lap, Bass stands and swings her up into his arms where she latches onto him like a koala. "Yeah, let's go home."

They go back to Jeremy's tent, finding Miles on the floor right where he'd left him. His eyes flutter open when Charlie kneels down and kisses his cheek.

"Bug, what are you doin' up?" Miles asks, not seeming to really grasp what's happening until he sees Bass stow the gun back beneath the cot. His eyes widen, but he says nothing as Bass climbs back into bed. Charlie follows him onto the bed and wraps herself up in his arms, making herself right at home. Miles sits up so his face his level with their heads.

"Is everything alright?"

Bass' brain and body are so exhausted that he can't even formulate a response. Luckily for him, Charlie's there to help.

"Yeah, but I think Bass needs some cuddles."

Miles chuckles as she reaches out to him for cuddles as well. He kisses her on the nose and even though the cot groans in protest, lays down next to her.

It feels strange to be back to this. The months just after the blackout had been filled with lots of cuddles. Miles and Bass had fallen asleep countless times with Charlie squished in between them because she couldn't sleep without them by her side.

The three of them have somehow managed to survive this long. There is no blood connecting him to these two people, but the bonds of love and friendship run so much deeper here. Bass knows in that moment that he will spend the rest of his life protecting the only family that he has left.


	13. Chapter 13

As the weeks pass, Bass finds himself spending more and more time in the field where he and Miles have been training the other men from their camp. There are only twenty-five of them, but having twenty-five trained men is better than having fifty who don't know what they're doing. He throws himself into the process, devising training exercises and putting up security measures all around the camp. It all seems a bit overboard, but everyone in camp knows that he is grieving and they give him the space to do what he wants.

With Shelly gone, the children in camp have no school to attend during the day so Julia takes it upon herself to try and take over. She's not an educator though, and she's always the first one to admit that Shelly is irreplaceable. Poor Charlie can't stand the new normal around camp. After less than a week under Julia's care, she decides that school is no longer worth her time and refuses to go. She and Miles argue loudly and we'll into the night, but in the end, he doesn't give her a choice.

But of course, Charlie is stubborn and much cleverer than he or Miles have ever given her credit for. More often than not, they return home to find Julia frantically searching for her missing student. They usually find her in Bass and Shelly's tent, which he hasn't been staying in, sitting at Shelly's vanity and working on her multiplication tables. The first time Bass found her there, he'd broken down and cried for nearly an hour while Charlie held his hand. Now though, he usually sits and times her while she works or listens to her read her books.

Eventually they give up trying to make her go to school and let her tag along to the training field. She usually brings a book to read and her prized notebook to work in, but she rarely uses them. Charlie is clearly fascinated by their training. She often volunteers herself as a pretend kidnap victim so Miles or Bass can run off with her while the trainees have to figure out how to rescue her. It doesn't take long for her to turn the tables on all of them though.

Bass had taken them to hide in a shallow cave for a while to see if the boys could track them, but the moment he takes his eyes off of her, she disappears. Terrified out of his mind, Bass runs back to the field to tell the boys that the game is off and that Charlie is actually missing. They're all running into the trees to search for her when the giggling starts and rocks start falling from the sky.

"I gotcha!" She yells triumphantly from her spot high up in a tree, though her glee only lasts for a moment. Bass is so angry that he can't even speak and he leaves the training field in search of a drink. It's not that he's really mad at her, he knows that she was just playing the game, but he can't help but think of what would happen if it hadn't been a game.

He's sitting on his cot with his head in his hands when she comes in to find him.

"I'm sorry, Bass." He looks up and watches her twist her fingers around awkwardly in front of her. Much like Miles, she hates apologizing, though they both seem to make an exception for him. She looks like she feels so guilty that it makes him feel guilty as well.

"It's alright, Charlie." She looks at him carefully out of the corner of her eye and he smiles at how shy she can be sometimes. "Come here." He holds his arms out to her and she smashes into him, knocking him backwards on the bed. Bass moves her insane curls off of his face with a smile and kisses the top of her head. "I'm sorry I got so mad, but you can't do stuff like that. You scared me."

She props her elbows up on his chest and looks down at him. "I know. Uncle Miles said that next time I have to let you in on the plan or I'm not allowed to play anymore."

"What exactly was the plan, anyway? Were you just going to hide up there and pelt us with rocks, or was there another part that I'm missing here."

She rolls off of the bed and sighs dramatically. "I can't tell you, that would make it too easy for next time."

"We're supposed to be training the other guys, not me. I've already been trained enough."

Miles comes strolling into the tent as he says it and laughs. "You let a seven year old give you the slip, Bass. I think you might need some refresher courses."

Bass sticks his tongue out at him. Juvenile? Yes. But it certainly makes him feel better.

XxX

As October comes to a close, Miles starts talking about the camp across the river again.

"They have no security over there at all. The two of us could sneak in and out without being noticed in less than twenty minutes. Come on, Bass. You know we need the food."

But ever since Shelly's death and whatever he had almost done with the gun that night, Bass has been avoiding the conversation all together.

"I don't know, Miles. It doesn't feel right to just steal it."

And of course, it's the simple mind of a child that proposes the solution. "Why don't we just ask if we can have some?" At first they think it's ridiculous and they just laugh at her, but it only takes a few minutes for them to realize that Charlie may have just saved the entire camp from another horrible winter.

As the camp's de facto leaders, Miles and Bass approach the camp across the river. They take Charlie with them, if for no other reason than they know she would have followed anyway. They're able to strike a deal with Garrett, the leader of the other camp, and trade their training services for enough food to get them through the winter.

Before December hits, the two camps have really become one. Garrett handles all of the boring people problems while Miles and Bass take care of anything that involves fighting. With all their new recruits, they have nearly sixty men under their command.

At nearly one hundred and seventy people, their combined camp is far to big to continue on the way it has been. There simply isn't enough space and resources to accommodate so many people. They discuss the possibility of moving, but many people in the camp view it as their home and wish to stay. Garrett included.

It doesn't take long for Miles and Bass to decide that it's time for them move on. With Shelly gone, sticking around is only hurting them all and the boys want a fresh start. Of their sixty trained men, thirty decide to join them. Despite the fact that they never made it to Chicago, they never even made it west of Ohio, the boys decide to head east instead. The rumors of gangs and war clans in the west are enough to keep them out for now.

As soon as spring breaks, the set out across Pennsylvania. Jeremy and the Nevilles have joined them of course, along with their thirty men and their families. They're a bit of a traveling circus, but people seem to like that about them. By the time they've made their way east of Pittsburgh, they've gathered up over eighty new followers and left behind hundreds more. Word has spread of Matheson and Monroe. The guys even joke around at night when they use ash from the fires to draw Bass' tattoo on their own arms. They jokingly call themselves Matheson's Army, though Miles is always quick to remind them that he and Bass are the only ones with actual military training.

It's Jeremy who finally points out that a civilian army is actually just a militia.

* * *

A/N This isn't my favorite chapter, but I'm trying to get us to Philadelphia without having to explain every little thing that happened along the way. A bit lazy of me, I know, but I want to catch us up to where I started the story and then possibly add a few post-engagement stories. This whole thing is so out of order it's not even funny... :-D


	14. Chapter 14

August feels like they're burning in an oven. Miles says that it must be the hottest August in the Northeast on record, but Bass thinks that it probably just seems that way because there's no air conditioning. It's been three and a half years since the power went out and they still can't get over how much they miss air conditioning.

Charlie will celebrate her ninth birthday this November, and Bass hates to admit that it kind of makes him feel old. It certainly doesn't help that he'll be turning thirty-four in December. But he tries to focus all of his positive energy on his eight year old companion. Despite her young age, Charlie often shows the wisdom of someone who has lived a lifetime. Bass takes joy in her small smiles but regrets the rarity of them. In a perfect world, Charlotte Matheson would be starting the third grade and dealing with the pains of having a little brother. But instead she gets Uncle Miles to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow. Bass wishes he could say that he doesn't do the same sort of things with her, but Miles had caught him teaching Charlie how to put someone in a choke hold just last week.

It's the reality that they live in now. As a pretty, young girl - who will no doubt grow into a beautiful, young woman - Charlie is constantly at risk. Just a few weeks ago, one of their men's daughters had disappeared from their temporary camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They'd spent days looking for the eleven year old with no luck, only to find her body in a river a week later.

Miles and Bass started teaching Charlie self defence that very next day.

She's good at it too. Somewhere in her head she sees problems in ways that they couldn't possibly imagine. She uses the space around her to her advantage and turns the most innocuous things into viable weapons. Bass still has a bruise on his shoulder from when she attacked him with a pillow case filled with old Legos. Miles attributes it to the fact that she's the offspring of two geniuses, but he's more inclined to think that she's simply gifted. She's still young though, so her hand to hand combat skills aren't much, but give the girl an arrow to shoot and you're shit out of luck. Bass is glad that she's with them, otherwise they'd all be in trouble.

The world around them is wrought with terror. Gangs and war clans practically run the east coast. The boys have had quite a few run-ins with them, though they've somehow managed to always come out the victors. The southern half of Pennsylvania that they've been traveling through is the only safe place that they know of. They stop in each town that they pass and spend a few weeks training the men that live there. When they leave, a few of their own guys stay behind to help run things and a few of the townspeople join them on the road. Each town that they've left behind bears the circular 'M' that marks that it is protected by Matheson and Monroe. The war clans don't dare touch the protected towns after what happened to the first gang that tried it. Miles and Bass both still have nightmares about it sometimes.

Protecting the innocent has its own terrible price.

Charlie is all too familiar with the demons that plague her uncle and best friend. Bass frequently wakes up from a nightmare shaking and sweaty with her hovering over him and petting his hair.

"It's OK, Bass. The bad guys can't get you here," she whispers. And he's glad that it's dark because the tears of relief that slip from the corners of his eyes are a weakness she doesn't need to see.

Charlie has taken on the role of mother hen to he, Miles, and Jeremy. The three boys may run this little side show that they call a militia, but everyone knows that Matheson's cute, little niece is really the one in charge. She has a habit of displaying her power over them at the most inconvenient times.

Like when they're in the middle of training a fresh batch of recruits.

"Uncle Miles," she sing songs as she crosses the field, weaving her way through the lines of men doing sit-ups. Some of them turn to stare at her while others chuckle as they continue to work.

Miles focuses his irritation at her interruption on the recruits. "Don't look at her. Keep going, you've still got fifty more to do!"

Completely unconcerned with the boys playing soldier, Charlie skips over to Bass and her uncle with a smile. "Guess what I found?"

"Charlie, we're in the middle of training, this isn't play time." Miles scolds.

But she merely rolls her eyes at him and continues on as if he hadn't said a thing. "There's a big lake not far from here and the water's super cold," she tells them excitedly. "Now we can go swimming!"

A few of the recruits nearby hear what she has to say and nod approvingly, but Bass shuts them down. "Nobody's going anywhere, get back to work." They grumble under their breath but continue on with their exercises.

Charlie looks out over the thirty or so young men who are currently sweating in the August heat. "But it's hot outside, can't you guys take a break?" She turns to give Miles her best puppy dog eyes. "Will you take me swimming Uncle Miles, please?"

He looks away from her and Bass knows that it's because resisting those big, blue eyes is nearly impossible. "Not right now, Bug. We have work to do, maybe later."

Her shoulders slump and she turns to Bass. "Will you take me?" And she gives him one of those big, toothy smiles that could make anyone's heart melt. Bass sighs and looks away, too.

"I'm sorry, Charlie." Her brilliant smile wilts and she turns to walk away, breaking his heart. "But I'll take you later, OK? I promise," he calls after her.

She turns back and gives him a half-hearted smile. "OK."

Both Miles and Bass turn back to the training field and the boys who just watched the entire exchange between them and the little girl. Bass pushes away the nagging little guilt in his chest and shouts, "What are you looking at? I want to see a hundred push-ups, now!"

The recruits quickly get to work and he and Miles move to walk amongst them. On his second trip around them, he spots Charlie sitting beneath a tree not far away. She's got her knees drawn up close to her chest and her chin is resting on them as she watches on with a gloomy expression. Bass looks over at Miles to see if he's noticed their tiny, blonde charge and judging by the way that his brother is determinedly facing the opposite direction says that he has. He makes his way over to him slowly.

"You see her?" Bass asks quietly, jerking his head in Charlie's direction.

Miles rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I see her, you dick."

They move outside of the formation of young men and stand off to the side. "She looks so... sad," Bass says.

"I know that," Miles snaps. And Bass can see his brown eyes flitting in the little girls direction.

"You're gonna take her now, aren't you?" Bass asks with a grin.

Grumbling in defeat, Miles storms through the mass of new recruits and yells, "that's enough for today! Everybody go home."

Bass follows him over to where Charlie's loitering and watches with amusement as Miles tries to act annoyed and fails epically. "Alright, come on, let's go swimming."

She jumps to her feet excitedly and grabs one of their hands in each of hers. "Yay, yay, yay! This is gonna be so much fun!" They let her drag them away from the training field and through their temporary camp, ignoring the badly concealed laughter of their followers as they go.


	15. Chapter 15

They spent all of spring and summer helping people all across Pennsylvania. Everywhere they go, people are happy to see them because when Matheson and Monroe come to town, it means that the suffering is nearly over.

All major roads are patrolled regularly by squads of men trained by Miles and Bass. Most cities are still abandoned, but a few people have started the process of moving back into them. Since winter will be coming soon, the boys have decided to settle down for the coming months and they've chosen on Philadelphia as their destination.

Well, Bass decided and Miles just didn't have the heart to tell him no.

The city is abandoned, but there is plenty of work to be done for restoration. The cars littering the streets need to be cleared away to make them usable again and the whole town could really use a good cleaning, but they all agree that it's nice to be in a place with actual houses again. Bass can't wait to explore the city, he's never been to Philly before, but Charlie is just excited that she'll get to have her own room in whatever house they decide to settle in.

"Ooh, how about that one Uncle Miles!" Charlie can't wait for the boys to pick a house so she can see this new room of hers.

"No, Charlie." Bass tells her as he looks up at the simple townhouse she'd pointed out. "We need something bigger, more..."

"More, what?" Miles asks with a laugh. "It's just the four of us, how big of a house do we need?"

"No, no, no. It's not about how big the house is," Bass tells them with a grin. "It needs to be... cool."

Jeremy and Miles share a look. "It's a house, Bass. You know, a place to sleep, roof over our heads. I don't think that 'cool' is really necessary," Jeremy says.

"But this is Philadelphia," he replies excitedly. "This is where it all started. This town is so full of history. We can't just stay in any old townhouse, we need something-"

"Cool," Miles finishes for him. "Only you would think that an old ass town is cool."

"I think it's cool, Bass." Charlie tells him sweetly.

He grins over at Miles. "See, Charlie thinks it's cool."

She tugs on his jacket sleeve and leans in close. "But I still get my own room, right?"

Bass sighs and nods, ignoring Miles and Jeremy smirking at him.

XxX

It's starting to get late, but Bass still hasn't made a decision on where he wants to stay.

"I'm tired," Charlie whines. "Will you carry me Uncle Miles?"

"Aren't you getting a little big for that?" But she merely smiles up at him. "Alright, fine. Hop on."

She launches herself up onto his back and wraps her arms around his neck. Jeremy catches Miles' bag and throws it over his shoulder with a grin.

"Push over."

"What was that, Baker?" Miles calls out.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything," he says innocently.

Miles grumbles something that Charlie probably shouldn't hear, making her giggle, and bumps purposefully into Bass. "Hey, Earth to Captain Dork, we need to find a place to stay for the night. Like, twenty minutes ago."

But Bass forgives his attitude in favor of the building standing beautiful and inviting in front of him.

"Here we are," he says with a grin.

Jeremy gives the old building an unimpressed look. "How is this one any different than all the other old ass houses we passed."

Charlie reaches out from her perch on her uncle's back and slaps the back of his head. "Watch your mouth."

"How come Miles got to say a bad word?" Jeremy asks her indignantly.

"Because he's my uncle. Duh."

Ignroing the argument that's about to go down behind him, Bass approaches a door on the side of the building. "Come on you guys, you can fight later. Let's get inside."

Miles comes up beside him and, instead of letting Bass try to pick the lock, kicks the door in. "Miles what the fuck are you doing? You can't just kick the door in!"

"Why not?"

Behind them, he hears Jeremy say, "Bass just said a bad word."

Charlie sighs. "Yeah, but he's _Bass."_

"Oh, so he gets a free pass too?"

"Yup."

Miles brings his attention back by stomping into the old building. "Hey, hey, hey. Dude, show some respect," Bass pleads with him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"This is Independence Hall. You can't just go around breaking things."

Miles looks on the verge of laughter, but luckily Charlie saves them all the trouble of listening to the boys fight.

"What's Independence Hall?" She asks interestedly. And everyone else is glad that she did because it saves them from the hour long tour - plus the lecture - about America's founding fathers.

XxX

When Bass is done giving Charlie her history lesson, the two of them find Miles, Jeremy, Tom, and Julia lounging in one of the smaller upstairs rooms. They each have a glass of scotch in their hands.

Bass eyes Miles' glass with envy. "Where-"

But Julia cuts him off with a laugh and slides him a glass across the dusty coffee table. Jeremy leans forward in his seat and fills it.

"Can I have some?" Charlie asks as she plops down next to Miles. He looks down at her thoughtfully, and instead of saying no like they expected, nods.

"OK, but just a sip, though. And I don't think you'll like it anyway."

She furrows her eyebrows at his strange conditions but shrugs and nods in agreement. He lets her guide the glass to her lips but doesn't let go. Good thing too, because the moment the liquid touches her tongue she nearly drops the glass in shock.

"Ew, what is that?"

Everyone around the room laughs and Miles pats her on the head. "It's a grown up drink, Bug. You'll like it when you're older."

"Grown ups are weird," she mumbles, making them all laugh again.

Jeremy gets up to wander the room, finding himself behind an antique desk. He sits down behind it with a grin. "Check it out guys," he says with a chuckle. He takes an elaborate sip from his drink and kicks his feet up on the desk. "I could get used to this."

Julia scoffs. "You aren't really the office type, Jer."

"Oh, come on. I could pull it off. I'll just sit up here behind my desk all day while everyone else does all the work around here." He sighs and leans back with his arms behind his head. "I can be like, the king, while everybody else is working."

"Ooh, ooh. Can I be the princess?" Charlie asks excitedly.

Miles laughs while Bass shakes his head, catching Charlie before she runs off to sit with 'the king'. "Hate to break it to you, Princess Charlotte, but this isn't a monarchy."

"Besides, kings don't sit behind desks anyway. They have thrones to sit on," Tom says.

Charlie wiggles into the spot between Bass and Miles with a pouty expression. "So I don't get to be a Princess?"

Julia gives her a long look, one much to thoughtful for someone who's been drinking. "Well since we're not running a monarchy, our democracy will need a president."

Miles snorts. "We aren't running anything. We're barely controlling the guys downstairs."

"But you are controlling them," Tom says suddenly serious. "Those people need something stable to rely on. Maybe a democracy is exactly what they need."

"Yeah, but then we would have to run an election and-"

"No we wouldn't," Julia interrupts him. "They love you guys. All we'd have to do is name you president and they'd listen."

Miles looks around the room incredulously. "Me? President? No way. No fucking way."

Tom looks over at Bass. "OK, so we've got President Monroe and..."

"General Matheson!" Jeremy finishes for him with a flourish.

Bass shakes his head. "No way. You guys are nuts."

"Come on, Bass." Julia says soothingly. "You guys have already been leading them for months now, some of us for years, it's about time we make it official."

"Offical?" Miles says weakly. "You're talking about starting our own government."

Julia, Tom, and Jeremy all share a look that says this isn't even the first time that they've had this conversation.

"You guys are serious," Bass says slowly.

Jeremy gets up from his desk and sits back down across from he and Miles. "Look, the American government is gone, but we're still here. We all need some kind of stability, and so far, you two are the only ones that have been able to give us that."

Miles and Bass look at each other over Charlie's head, their eyes meeting in mutual fear and disbelief. Charlie tilts her head up to look at them.

"If Bass gets to be president, what can I be?"

Miles chuckles and kisses her nose. "You can be the General's assistant."

She makes a face. "That's no fun."

Jeremy leans forward in his seat with a smile and pats Charlie on the leg. "Don't worry, Charlie, you've already claimed the title of The First Lady."

She perks up excitedly as Miles and Bass stare at him in confusion. "What does that mean? What do I get to do?"

Jeremy grins. "You get to keep doing exactly what you have been since the day we met."

"What?"

"Well everyone knows that the First Lady is really the one in charge, so all you have to do is keep bossing Bass and Miles around."

Charlie grins up at the boys, the little dimple in her cheek showing. "I can do that."

* * *

A/N And the Republic is born! This should catch us up to where the first chapter started. (I say that lightly, seeing as how I've skipped over and left out a ton of stuff. Not to mention my severe case of everything being out of order.) So now I think I'm going to do a few that will take place after the end of the first chapter. :-)


	16. Chapter 16

"Ew, Jer, that's disgusting."

Jeremy grins as he continues shoving a piece of toast slathered with jam into his mouth, bits of it dripping from the corners and onto his uniform jacket.

"Wha'?" He asks with his mouth full.

Rolling her eyes, Charlie continues on down the hallway of Independence Hall in a hurry. The two of them burst through the kitchen doors, finding both Miles and Bass seated at the table arguing about something over breakfast. The argument stops as soon as she enters and Bass smiles.

"Oh, Sleeping Beauty's awake." He stands to pull out a chair for her and goes to give her a quick kiss, but Charlie stops just out of his reach.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She asks, hands on her hips and her eyes just daring him to say something she wouldn't like. Bass looks confusedly at Miles and Jeremy for help.

"No, don't look at them," Charlie scolds. "Neither of them were explicitly told to wake me up early this morning."

Bass gives his wife a weak smile. "But you looked so cute, sleeping all peaceful like that. I didn't want to ruin it."

Charlie huffs, but reigns in her irritation and turns it into a small smile. "Thank you." She gives him a quick kiss. "I'm glad that you find me so adorable, but when I ask you to wake me, it's because I have plans." She turns to leave the kitchen, but Bass pulls her back by the hand.

"Wait, babe, you haven't even had breakfast."

Huffing impatiently, Charlie gives her husband another kiss. "I know that. But if you must know, I would be having breakfast right now if you had woken me up when you were supposed to. Maggie got back into town yesterday."

Jeremy perks up at the mention of the Republic's most renowned doctor. "She did?"

Ignoring his friend, Bass asks, "What does that have to do with your breakfast?"

Charlie sighs and pulls herself from his grip, sweeping her way over to the exit leading from the kitchen. "I'm having breakfast with Maggie. Duh. And thanks to you, I'm late." She gives him an annoyed shake of her head but offsets it by blowing him a kiss before disappearing through the door. "Love you guys, see you later!"

Bass smiles and sits down to finish his breakfast with his two best friends. "How did I not know that Maggie was back in town?" He looks to Jeremy, who blushes and shrugs.

"Don't look at me, I didn't know either."

Miles takes a sip of his coffee, his eyes scanning the newspaper in front of him distractedly. "Relax Bass, you know how Charlie is, she'll tell us what's going on when she's good and ready."

He nods in agreement, wondering what his wife and the doctor are up to this time.

XxX

Charlie rushes into Central Philadelphia's clinic, bypassing the woman at the front desk and all of the people in the waiting room heading towards the back office. She bursts through the office door and flings herself at Maggie before the elder blonde even has time to breath.

"You're late" she scolds, but there's no real bite behind it.

"I'm so glad you're back. I missed you so much, Maggie."

"Well, don't I feel important then." Charlie tears herself away from Maggie to find the source of the snarky voice.

"Nora!" The brunette grins and embraces her tightly.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asks. "I thought you were working a job in Boston."

"I was, but I caught another job on my way back and got sidetracked to Baltimore. Since I knew Maggie would be coming back here soon, I decided to hitch a ride."

Turning to Maggie, Charlie punches her arm playfully. "Why didn't you tell me she was coming with you?"

"She asked me to keep it a secret so she could surprise you."

Charlie gives Nora a skeptical look. "More like she didn't want a _certain someone_ to find out that she's in town."

Nora rolls her eyes and shakes her head. " _He_ has nothing to do with this, I just wanted to surprise you, that's all!" But her defensive tone is a dead giveaway.

"You know you can't avoid him forever, right?"

Nora sighs and sits down at the small table set up for breakfast. "Can we not talk about him, please? Let's just have a nice, quiet breakfast."

Charlie joins her at the table as Maggie starts pouring cups of coffee. "He's my uncle, Nora. I live with the man. Am I really supposed to keep your being a town a secret?"

"Just for a little while, OK? I just... I don't think I'm ready to jump right back into it with him."

Giving her friend's hand a light squeeze, Charlie smiles. "Alright fine. But don't expect me to lie to him forever, he'll figure it out eventually and I don't want to be stuck in the middle."

"Deal."

Maggie sits down and starts dishing food onto her plate. "Alright, enough of Nora's depressing love life. Let's hear about the happy couple. How's newlywed life?" She asks Charlie with a grin.

Trying to hide a giant smile behind her cup, Charlie acts nonchalant. "It's great. Bass is... perfect. I couldn't be happier."

"The sex is that good, huh?" Nora asks with a laugh, making Charlie blush.

"I don't think I should be discussing my sex life with my uncle's girlfriend."

"Oh, come on, we broke up!" She whines.

"Yeah, for the five hundredth time," Maggie says, grinning from ear to ear. "I give it a week and you'll be back together."

"Leave her alone, Maggie," Charlie says playfully. "It's not her fault Miles is emotionally stunted.

Nora sticks her tongue out at her. "Says the woman who married a man twice her age but acts like he's half of it."

Charlie opens her mouth to defend her husband's usual childish behavior, but ends up laughing instead. "Yeah, I don't think the boys are good influences on each other. And poor Jeremy gets the worst of it from both of them."

"Oh, speaking of Jeremy..." Nora says, looking to Maggie. "Is there something you'd like to tell us Mags?"

The older woman blushes a deep red. "No, what are you talking about?"

But Charlie and Nora simply laugh. "He's so excited you're back, Maggie. You should have seen his face when he heard the news this morning."

Shaking her head, Maggie sips her coffee and pretends not to know what they're talking about. "Captain Baker is a very good friend of mine. I'll be happy to see him again as well."

"Bullshit!" Nora yells.

"Sorry, Mags. I'm with Nora on this one. You and Jer are even worse at hiding your feelings for each other than I was at hiding mine for Bass."

"And everyone knew she was in love with Bass," Nora adds, earning herself a glare from the younger girl. "What, they did." She adds defensively.

"Speaking of you and Bass being in love," Maggie says loudly, clearly desperate to change the subject. "You two are coming up on six months soon, right?"

Charlie smiles one of those lovesick smiles reserved especially for newlyweds. "Yep. It'll be six months in two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Nora asks with a frown. "Aren't they having the summit in two weeks?"

"Yeah." Charlie shrugs. "It was the only time Kelly and Frank could get away at the same time, and in order for the summit to actually be useful, we need both Texas and Georgia to be here."

"And do the boys still not know that you invited you-know-who?" Maggie asks, her eyes narrowing with dislike at the mere mention of the woman.

Charlie takes a big bite of a muffin and nods.

"You're a bad liar, Charlie." Nora says grimly.

Swallowing down the muffin, she nods in agreement. "I know."

"You do plan on telling them, don't you?" Maggie asks.

"Of course I do! I'm just waiting for the right time. Lately it seems like it's one thing after another going wrong, and they're nervous about the summit, plus Bass is all worried about making our sixth month anniversary special... It's just been hectic lately."

The girls both nod understandingly. "I still don't get why you felt the need to invite her in the first place," Nora mutters.

Charlie sighs. "We've been over this. Duncan Page controls the majority of the clans throughout The Plains Nation, and the entire point of the summit is to discuss how we want to deal with the refugees coming out of The Wastelands from California. It makes perfect sense to consult the person in charge of the area between us and The Wastelands."

Nora makes a disgusted face. "I know but I can't stand that bitch."

Charlie chuckles. "Why, because she slept with Miles?"

"She did what?" Nora jumps to her feet, her eyes full of rage. "I swear to God, I'll-"

But her rant is cut off by Charlie's hysterical laughter.

"Miles didn't sleep with Duncan." Nora says quietly, lowering herself back into her seat.

"No he didn't. But believe me, I don't like her anymore than you do. The last time she was here she tried to seduce my husband."

"In her defence, you were only thirteen at the time." Maggie points out.

"So?" Charlie says quickly. "I still don't like her."

"Yeah, well, the boys like her even less than you do so imagine how pissed they're gonna be when they find out you invited her."

Charlie huffs. "Look, as much as we all don't like her, we need her cooperation with whatever refugee plan we come up with. We'll just have to play nice in the meantime."

"I'm not worried about us playing nice," Nora tells her. "I'm worried about what Bass is gonna do when someone who has previously threatened his wife's life walks into his house again."

Biting her lip thoughtfully, Charlie picks at the food on her plate. "Maybe I should warn the house security to be on high alert for her arrival. Just so we don't have any... accidents."

Nora snorts into her coffee. "I highly doubt that anyone will consider it an accident when Bass has her publicly executed."

"He's not going to execute her," Charlie says tiredly.

"You better hope not," Maggie tells her. "Otherwise we'll have an all out war on our hands with the clans."

Charlie rubs at her forehead, trying to push away the headache that's starting to form. "It'll be fine," she says, though it's more to herself than them. Now if only she could make herself believe it.


	17. Chapter 17

As the summit draws near, Bass and Miles both find excuses not to be around the house - they both have phobias about meetings - which gives Charlie practically no opportunity to tell them about Duncan's attendance. At this point, she'll be lucky if she gets to tell them before Duncan arrives.

"Babe, I need to talk to you about something before you head out." Charlie sits on the trunk at the foot of their bed to pull her shoes on while Bass finishes up shaving for the day. His head pokes out of the bathroom door with only half of his face done and a suspicious look on his face.

"OK," he says slowly. "Is something wrong?"

Charlie shakes her head and attempts a smile. "No, what makes you think that?" But she must fail at the smile because Bass' face goes from slightly uneasy to worried in a heartbeat.

"Because you're doing that thing again where you try to act nonchalant when really on the inside you're about to explode." Her husband sighs and walks back into the bathroom, coming right back out with a towel so he can wipe the rest of the soap off of his face. He sits down next to her and takes her hand. "Tell me what's wrong, Charlie."

She hesitates for a moment but finally gives in. "OK, but you have to promise not to get mad."

"Oh, I hate it when you say that. It's almost always followed up by something that either physically or mentally pains me."

Charlie squeezes his hand reassuringly and kisses his cheek. "Well, lucky for you, I think it'll just be mentally painful this time."

"Is it weird that I kinda wish it was a physical pain? 'Cause I can get over a gut punch pretty quick, but I have a feeling whatever headache you're about to cause will last a little while longer."

Chuckling, Charlie leans against him and rests her head on his shoulder. "You know me too well."

Bass wraps an arm around her and kisses the top of her head. "Yes, I do. Now come on, just tell me about this headache and get it over with."

"It's about the summit. I, uh, kinda invited Duncan Page." Silence follows her words as they sink into her husband's brain, but it only takes a matter of seconds for his temper to kick in.

" _You did what?"_

She cringes at the tone of his voice. Bass has completely surpassed angry and gone straight to furious. "Why the hell would you do that? That bitch is crazy, Charlie. She literally threatened your life _right in front of me._ Why would invite her to come to our home, where we eat and sleep. Oh, God..." He starts pacing around their bedroom, running his hands through is hair and whining like a caged animal.

"What if she actually tries to kill you this time." But he's talking more to himself than to her. "She could poison you're food or break into our bedroom."

"Bass, stop it." But he ignores her and continues to pace.

"Or she could wait until you guys are alone and just slit you're throat."

"Bass-"

"What if she attacks you during one of the meetings and kills you right in front of Foster and Blanchard-"

"Bass!"

He finally stops to look at her and she has to cover up a smile because he looks so ridiculous with only half a shaved face, his hair sticking up in all directions, and his eyes wild. Charlie bites back the smile and reaches out to grab his hands, pulling him close so he's standing between her legs.

"Honey, you need to calm down. Remember what Maggie said, stress is bad for your blood pressure."

He rolls his eyes and shrugs away from her mumbling, "there's nothing wrong with my blood pressure."

"Of course there isn't," she says placatingly.

He gives her an annoyed look. "I hate it when you use that voice on me."

Sighing, Charlie gets up and wraps her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his chest so she can look up at him. "I know you do, but as much as you want to pretend that you're perfectly healthy, we both know you're not."

"I'm fine. I think that Maggie just overreacted."

"And I think that you're just worried that blood pressure problems will make me realize how old you really are, and you're afraid that I'll change my mind about marrying you because of it."

Bass' mouth opens and closes a few times, but eventually just stays closed in defeat.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Bass. Age means nothing to me. I would rather have an old husband that takes good care of himself than a young one who doesn't."

He rolls his eyes in a _'I know, we've talked about this'_ kind of way and kisses her slowly, his tongue slipping into her mouth to deepen it. They break apart minutes later breathless and with swollen lips.

"I love you," Charlie whispers.

"Love you too, babe." He gives her another quick kiss, but pulls away quickly with a frown. "Wait a minute, how did we go from me yelling at you about Duncan, to you yelling at me about my blood pressure?"

Charlie grins and pulls away from him, heading for the bedroom door. "Because you and I both know that inviting Duncan was the right thing to do. Plus, you were overdue for a good scolding in the health department, Maggie's told you five hundred times that you need to cut back on the whiskey."

Groaning like a child, he makes his way back to the bathroom to finish shaving, yelling over his shoulder. "Guess I'll switch to scotch then!"

XxX

"So when is Frank do in?" Kelly Foster asks, as she and Charlie have coffee in the courtyard. "I would have bet that he'd beat me here just so he could say that he did it."

"He would have beat you here if they hadn't run into a storm. A runner came in the day before yesterday with a message that he and his people were holed up in a barn waiting out a thunderstorm."

Kelly nods as she nibbles on a cookie. She and Charlie had met years ago and despite the Georgian President's dislike of her uncle, the two of them get along perfectly. "And what about Page, is she still coming?"

"As far as I know. I sent a copy of the agenda for her to read over on her way here, but I haven't heard anything back."

"Do you think she'll show?"

Charlie shrugs, feeling much better about the situation now that she'd come clean to Bass. "I guess we'll see. But I think she will. I think she'll want to be able to rub it in everyone else's faces that we invited her."

"Are you expecting there to be any issues with her being here?"

"I'm not expecting them, but I'm also not stupid enough to think they won't happen. Bass and Miles aren't her biggest fans."

Kelly nods understandingly. "I wouldn't be either if she had threatened someone in my family."

"It wasn't even that big of a deal," Charlie says tiredly. "I think that everyone's overreacting. I mean, Bass and Miles were both sitting right there when she said it so it's not like she was actually going to be able to do anything."

"Yeah, but it's more about the fact that she even said it more than anything else. If it had been me in Bass' place, I would have had her executed on the spot for daring to speak that way in my office."

Charlie rolls her eyes but chuckles at the other woman's bluntness. "Well, who knows, maybe you'll get the chance to kill her yourself while she's here."

XxX

It's the first day of the summit and Charlie, Kelly, and Frank Blanchard are sitting in the conference room that Miles usually uses for military briefings. Both of the boys and Duncan have yet to make an appearance for the opening meeting, though Jeremy has joined them at Charlie's request.

"So do your lazy husband and uncle plan on joining us, or are we on our own for this one?" Frank asks, as he lounges back in his seat.

"Oh, don't worry. I sent a messenger to 'remind' them about the meeting just before I came down. They should be here soon."

But even as the words leave her mouth, Jason pokes his head through the door. "Uh, Mrs. Monroe, the runners just got back and they both said that the President and the General claim to be too busy to attend at the moment." Even the way Jason says it let's her know that it's complete bullshit.

"Alright, then go ahead and try plan 'B'."

Jason hesitates, teetering on his heels in the doorway. "Charlie are you sure this is a good idea-"

"Yes, Jason now just do it."

"Fine," he grumbles. "But when they get pissed, I'm not taking the blame again."

Charlie rolls her eyes at him and shoos him out into the hallway. "OK, OK, just hurry!"

Jeremy watches her close the door with a smug grin and frowns. "This isn't going to end well, is it..."

Completely ignoring him, Charlie picks up her paper from the table and looks around at the other two. "Should we get started then?"

Not even ten minutes later, they've just gotten into discussing their current border patrols when the conference room door flings open and both Miles and Bass come storming in with their guns in hand.

"Charlie," Bass shouts, running over to stand in front of her protectively.

Miles moves close to them as well, his eyes scanning the room for some kind of threat. "Where is she? Where'd she go?" He spots Jeremy looking dumbstruck, sitting at the table. "Baker, what the hell are you doing just sitting there? Find Page, and bring her to me, right now!"

Both Kelly and Frank are watching the two men with amused expressions while Charlie is just downright giddy. Bass turns to look at his wife, his face changing slowly from rage to suspicion as he lowers his weapon.

"Duncan isn't here, Miles." He says dryly. "Charlie played us."

Miles turns to look at her as well, his shoulders sagging with defeat. "Damn it. We should have known it was false alarm. Jason never would have left Charlie's side if Duncan had actually threatened her."

Bass claps a hand to his forehead and shakes his head at himself. "Damn, we're dumb." He glares over at the door and barks, "Neville!"

Jason pokes his head through the door again, his face set as if expecting whatever punishment you get for pulling one over on the President. "Sir?"

"You're fired."

Charlie nudges her husband aside and pushes him into a chair at the table. "Jason, you're not fired."

"Oh, yes he is." Miles adds.

"Oh, no he's not." Charlie says, mimicking his voice. "Lieutenant Neville was just following orders, so if you want to fire someone, you can fire me."

Bass frowns and narrows his eyes at her, clearly trying to appear angry in front of Kelly and Frank, but only succeeding in seeming childish. "Well then... Charlie, you're fired."

She snorts. "Fired as you're wife, you're assistant, or the Vice President?"

"Just the last two."

She sighs with mock relief and heads for the door. "Oh, good. Then I don't have to sit through this stupid meeting."

He jumps up and runs to the door, shutting it before she can get through. "On second thought, you were right Madam Vice President, now come have a seat." He leads her back to the table and pulls out a chair for her, making Kelly roll her eyes.

"Well now that you three have had your fun, should we get started?"

The six of them spend pretty much the entire first day catching up on what's been going on since the last time they were all together, which was before Bass and Charlie's wedding. They're so caught up in their fun that they don't get any work done and no one even mentions that Duncan never showed up.

* * *

A/N I guess this is me trying to see how long I can draw it out before Duncan shows up, lol. Next chapter, I promise. :-D Thanks for reading and comment if you have a sec!


	18. Chapter 18

While the California refugees are the reason behind holding the summit, there are plenty of other things that the leaders need to discuss. Everything from the Texan border problem with Mexico, railroad restorations, and even trade routes. The agenda has meetings scheduled over a two week period, and unfortunately for Bass and Miles, they aren't even three days in yet.

So far, Duncan Page hasn't shown her face, which has served to both alleviate some of their worry for Charlie's safety and cause more stress. It's mostly let them relax though, so instead of dragging Charlie into today's meeting about the railroad construction in Arkansas, they've sent her to take care of some of the President's daily duties. Frank is in the middle of his railroad update when Jason pokes his head into the room to interrupt.

"Mr. President, Duncan Page just arrived out front." The room lapses into silence, everyone glad for the interruption but unnerved by what said interruption might bring. Bass takes a deep breath and stands, mentally preparing himself for the headache that's about to come.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Jason recognizes the dismissal and starts to leave, but Bass calls him back. "Wait, where's Charlie?"

"She told me that she was planning on catching you up on some of your paperwork while she's in charge for the day, so most likely in your office." Jason looks around the room and takes note of Kelly and Frank. "Sir," he adds as an afterthought. He'd grown up with Bass and Miles as honorary members of his family, so sometimes he forgets that they're supposed to be his bosses.

"OK, I'm going to go down and welcome out 'guest'. Jason, I want you to go let Charlie know that Duncan has arrived, make sure that she's on high alert and assign someone to her detail."

Jason winces like that's the worst thing he's ever heard in his entire life. "Are you sure, because you know she hates it when you give her a detail."

Trying not to roll his eyes, Bass gives him a _'shut up, you idiot'_ look. "I'm the President, Lieutenant. Your job isn't to question me, it's to do what I say." He jerks his head towards Kelly and Frank, making Jason jump to stand at attention.

"Yes, sir." He salutes awkwardly and hurries from the room in order to find Charlie.

Frank chuckles. "He's not exactly the brightest boy, is he?"

Bass shakes his head with a smile. "No, but he's a good kid and I trust him with my life. Plus, Charlie would kill me if I tried to get rid of him. They've been friends, practically brother and sister, since they were kids. He'll protect her if it comes to that."

"Do you think it will?" Kelly asks, as she rises from her chair.

"I hope not." Frank and Miles rise as well, and they all head for the front of the house to greet Duncan only to find Charlie already doing so. Bass looks around for Jason, who is standing a few feet away from the two women looking equal parts guilty and anxious.

Bass gestures to Charlie and mouths, _'what is she doing?'_ But Jason merely shrugs, looking completely lost as to what his friend is up to.

"Well, this ought to be interesting," Frank mutters. Bass silently agrees with him as he reluctantly approaches his wife and the woman who had once threatened to kill her.

Charlie's back is to him, but he catches Duncan's attention as he approaches. She's wearing leather pants and a low cut top, nothing like the sensible black pants and white button up that Charlie is wearing. There was a time when Bass would have looked at the two woman and thought that Duncan was the better choice, but now he thinks she just looks desperate for attention. Duncan's eyes travel up and down his body as he approaches, succeeding in alerting Charlie to his arrival. She turns around and gives him a quick kiss before he can even say hello, making Duncan's eyebrows shoot up.

"I thought you were already in your meeting, _honey_." Charlie says, though with more emphasis behind the word than she would normally use. Bass tries not to laugh at her obvious attempts to mark her territory, deciding to play along instead.

"Oh, well we heard Miss Page had arrived and thought we would all come down to greet her ourselves." He wraps an arm around Charlie's waist and pulls her close with his left and sticks his right hand out for Duncan to shake. "It's nice to see you again, Duncan."

The warlord gives them both an unamused look, taking much too long to shake his hand in return. "It's nice to be here," she says through clenched teeth.

Miles joins them on Charlie's other side. "Great, now that everyone's here, maybe we should get back to work."

"Miles," Charlie scolds. "Miss Page just got here. She probably needs rest and-"

"No, I'm fine." Duncan says hurriedly. "I didn't come here to rest, I came to work. So let's work." Miles nods in approval and leads Duncan, Kelly, and Frank into Independence Hall, leaving a smirking Charlie and an amused Bass in their wake. Once they're out of sight, he turns to his wife.

"Was all that really necessary?" He asks. Though he secretly enjoyed watching Charlie get possessive.

She leans up on her tippy toes to kiss him, sliding her arms around his waist. "I just didn't want her to get any crazy ideas in her head."

"What kind of ideas?"

One of her hands slides down further on his back and she gives his ass a nice, long squeeze, making his whole body hum. "That anyone but me was allowed to do that."

Bass growls low in his throat, ducking his head to nip at her neck. "I wouldn't want anyone but you for that."

Charlie smiles and gives him another quick kiss before pushing him away a little so she can straighten his jacket. "Good, 'cause you're stuck with me."

"And you with me."

She nods and he offers her his arm. The two rejoin the summit linked arm in arm, causing Miles to roll his eyes and Duncan to scowl like an angry child.

XxX

Duncan's first few days go by smoothly, as she's more worried about making her opinions heard than whatever issue she may have with Charlie. However, the morning of day four brings the problems that everyone else had been hoping so desperately to avoid. Charlie is in the process of setting out a reworked agenda before the day's meeting starts, when Duncan decides to join the conference room early.

"Well, look who it is," she says nastily. "The President's bed warmer."

Charlie clenches her fist but releases it quickly, determined not to let the other woman get the best of her. "Actually, I prefer the term 'wife'."

Duncan grins maliciously and moves to lean against the table. "You know what, I was actually thinking that 'slut' might be a better fit."

Raising her eyebrows, Charlie looks over at her coolly. "I think it would be better for you to address me properly. I'll answer to Mrs. Monroe or Madam Vice President, either one. I'll even let you pick which one you prefer."

Duncan's jaw clenches but she doesn't get the chance to respond as Jason enters the room. He looks between the two women worriedly, subtly laying a hand on the weapon at his side. "Is everything alright, Mrs. Monroe?" He asks, using his best soldier voice.

Charlie never takes her eyes off of Duncan, doing her best not to smile triumphantly right in her face. "I think we're fine, Lieutenant. Right, Miss Page?"

Her eyes shift back and forth between them, lingering on Jason for an extra moment as she licks her lips. "Careful, sweetheart." She says, looking him up and down. "Your boyfriend might not always be around to protect you."

Charlie can't help but smile nice and big at that, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. "Thank you for that," she says quietly, her tone of voice changing to complete sincerity.

Duncan's face scrunches up in confusion. "For what?"

Grinning, Charlie steps back to make room for Jason to step between them. "Miss Page, you just threatened the Vice President of the Monroe Republic. You are under arrest."

"What the hell!"

"Lieutenant Neville," Charlie says loudly, practically shouting over Duncan's protests. "Please cuff this criminal before she attempts to do any real harm to our nation."

Jason snaps the metal cuffs around Duncan's wrists, chuckling the whole time. "You know what, Charlie? One day, you are going to be one bad ass President."

Duncan bucks against his strong hold, a look of disgust on her face. "Oh, please, she'll never - ouch!"

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Jason asks innocently, pulling Duncan black from the table he just shoved her into.

"You can't do this," she growls at them.

Charlie merely smiles and waves for Jason to take her from the room. "Actually, I can. Enjoy solitary, Miss Page."

The warlord struggles as Jason leads her through the doorway, past Miles, Bass, Kelly, and Frank, who are all watching with varying degrees of shock and amusement. None of them say a word as Duncan gets lead away, though once she's out of sight, Bass turns to his wife.

"Should I be preparing for her execution?" He asks hopefully.

Rolling her eyes, Charlie plops down into a chair with a shake of her head. "No, we just need to hold her long enough for us to deal with the California refugees.

Miles sits down across from her, giving her a suspicious look. "Did you just bait a crazy woman so you could have her arrested?"

"It's only temporary," Charlie explains calmly. "This way, we can help the refugees without Duncan and all her little war clan friends interfering."

Kelly takes the seat next to her and laughs. "Wait a minute, is that why you invited her? Did you have this planned the whole time?"

Charlie avoids looking at everyone in the room, choosing to busy herself with some imaginary dust on the table. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she says smoothly.

"Well I'll be damned, Monroe. Your wife is even more devious than you are," Frank says as he joins them at the table.

Bass smiles and takes the seat on her other side, nodding in agreement. "That's just the way I like her."


	19. Chapter 19

Charlie wanders into the kitchen a little after eight in the morning, clearly too late for breakfast with the boys, but just on time to be lectured by Maggie. As the Republic's best doctor and Charlie's good friend, the older woman has her own bedroom at Independence Hall, though she usually stays at the clinic when she's in town.

"Sleeping late, are we?" She teases over her bowl of oatmeal.

Charlie rolls her eyes and ignores her, piling her plate high with food. Maggie eyes the tower of toast, eggs, and sausage and gives her a meaningful look.

"Speaking as your doctor, is there something I should know?"

Charlie let's the question hang in the air for a moment as she munches on her toast and sips some orange juice. "Not sure I know what you mean," she says carefully.

Maggie, being the gentler and more subtle of the two, smiles in an attempt to warm the younger girl up a little. "I'm merely pointing out that you've been sleeping in quite a bit lately and you've been eating almost as much as Miles, which is worrying, unless there is a reason."

Sighning, Charlie drops her toast back onto the plate and glares modify at her glass of juice. "I'm not pregnant, Maggie."

The doctor nods, though doesn't take the statement as is. "Are you sure? It's quite normal for a woman for to experience spotting during the early stages of pregnancy."

This statement is met with silence, causing Maggie to think that perhaps her friend is pregnant and just in denial. Though judging by the downcast look on her face, something about the idea is clearly bothering the young woman. Something other than just carrying a child.

"You and Bass have been married for over eight months, Charlie." She says gently. "No one will think badly of you for starting a family, everyone loves you two." This of course is just a guess at what her friend's problem may be. Charlie has been known to hold herself to insanely high standards over the years, Maggie knowing from the personal experience of helping her knock those standards down.

Charlie sighs and picks at the food on her plate before looking around the kitchen to check for eavesdroppers. "It's not that," she says quietly. "I really am not pregnant, but..." She checks around the room again nervously and leans across the table to whisper. "I want to be."

Maggie sits back in her seat confusedly. "I don't understand."

"It's Bass. He... He's always so careful. It's like he doesn't even want to have a baby with me. And every time I bring it up he finds some excuse to leave and doesn't come back until he knows I'm either gone or asleep."

This is clearly something that has been weighing on Charlie's mind for a while. Possibly even affecting her sleep schedule and eating habits.

"And I know that he worries about it," she says suddenly, obviously not finished getting this off her chest. "After what happened to Shelly... I remember how much it killed him when she died, it killed me too, she was my first friend that wasn't a guy, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting a baby. I want us to have kids, even if he only wants one, but he's just so against it."

She leans back in her chair dejectedly and doesn't even attempt to pick at her food again as tears start falling down her cheeks. "Do you think he regrets marrying me?" She asks desperately.

Maggie jumps up and runs around the table, making a mental note to kick Bass' ass later, to comfort her. "Of course not, love. Bass is so in love with you, _you know that._ But you also know that he's a big, stubborn baby when it comes to things like this. Remember, it took him a year after you turned eighteen for him to even realize that he had feelings for you. He isn't exactly the most intelligent man on the planet."

Charlie snorts, sending a wave of snot from her nose which only makes her laugh harder. Maggie wrinkles her nose and hands her a napkin to clean up with. "You are just like Miles. Disgusting."

She giggles as she wipes her face and leans over to hug her. "Thank you, Maggie. You're the only friend I have that isn't obligated to report to my husband or my uncle."

"Well technically, your husband is the President which means I am kind of obligated to report to him."

Charlie glares at her.

"Then again, you are protected by doctor patient confidentiality so I don't think I'll be telling him anything."

Grinning, Charlie gives her a kiss on the cheek and redirects her attention back to her breakfast. Maggie goes back to her own food, studying her friend across the table.

"You need to talk to him about it Charlie. Bass is a good man, but he's not a mind reader. Communication is key."

She sighs like this is something she's heard before, which she has because she's lectured Nora and her uncle on the exact same topic countless times, but nods in agreement as the two finish their breakfast.

* * *

A/N It's short, I know. I'll write the Bass/Charlie side of this later, but I'm pretty swamped with work stuff right now so be patient with me. Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Charlie asks with her best puppy dog eyes.

Maggie chuckles and rolls her eyes. "I've got an early day at the clinic tomorrow. I can't afford to spend the night getting drunk with you."

Charlie pouts with her arms crossed over her chest, looking more like an eight year old than the twenty year old she is. "Fine. I guess I'll just go find my broody uncle and get drunk with him."

Maggie rolls her eyes again but leans over for a hug and a kiss. "I'll see you for lunch on Friday?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

The guards hold the doors open for her so she can exit Independence Hall, though Maggie is delayed in the doorway by Jeremy's arrival. He comes up the front steps quickly and smiles shyly at her.

"Good evening, Doctor Foster." He says in his deepest, most formal voice. Charlie suppresses a laugh as Maggie blushes.

"Captain Baker, it's lovely to see you."

Jeremy bites his lip awkwardly, looking out at the darkening sky. "Are you headed back to the clinic?" He asks nervously.

"Oh, yes," she answers quickly, somewhat breathless. "I have a lot of work to do in the morning."

Charlie groans at the massive stupidity of her two friends and decides that it's time for her to intervene. "Jeremy, why don't you walk Maggie back to the clinic," she suggests.

Maggie turns her back to Jeremy and looks at her with wide eyes, subtly shaking her head. "Oh, no, I wouldn't want to be a bother." She says.

"Nonsense!" Charlie says with a maniac grin. "We wouldn't want the Republic's best doctor wandering around the city at night all by herself. I'm sure Captain Baker would be happy to escort you home."

She glances at Jeremy who is looking torn between being excited and uncomfortable. Maggie turns back to Jeremy and he immediately slaps on his best winning smile. "I'd be happy to walk you home Doctor Foster."

Maggie hesitates only for a moment, then smiles hugely. "Well, alright then."

Charlie watches the two disappear down the walkway, Jeremy with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and Maggie clutching tightly to her purse.

"I thought Jeremy told you to keep your nose out of his business?" Jason whispers close to her ear.

Charlie turns her head to look at him and grins. "Well I think he forgot that I don't take orders from him." Jason laughs. "Besides, he'll thank me later."

Changing the subject, Jason jerks his head in the direction of the living room upstairs. "Heard you were looking for a drinking buddy. Thought you might prefer me over Miles' surly-self."

"I though you had plans with Becky?"

He rolls his eyes. "I broke up with Becky three weeks ago."

Charlie dismisses this with a wave of her hand. "Well, whatever her name is. You know I can't keep track. You go through woman like Miles goes through recruits."

"Her name is Lucy. And yes, we did have plans, but her brother came into town this morning so we had to cancel. Which means I'm free to be your drunk friend for the night." He offers her his arm and Charlie takes it, letting him lead her through the house.

"Lucy?" She asks suddenly. "Really?"

Jason rolls his eyes at her as they settle comfortably on the couch. Charlie grabs a bottle of scotch from the nearest table and takes a drink straight from the bottle before passing it to her friend. He takes a drink and passes it back to her before kicking of his boots and propping his feet up on the coffee table. They do this for a while, passing the bottle back and forth in comfortable silence.

"Where is Bass, anyway?" He asks after a while. "Isn't he usually the one drinking with you?"

Charlie nods and leans back against the arm of the couch, setting her feet in his lap. "He usually rubs my feet, too."

Jason makes a face knocks her feet aside. "And yet another reason I'm glad I'm not your husband."

She giggles and kicks him playfully in the side. "He's in Delaware, trying to help calm down some of the rebel activity."

They go quiet again, drinking and relaxing. After a while, Jason turns his head to look at her, his eyes oddly serious. "I heard a rumor today," he says quietly.

This is nothing new. Gossip is easy to come by around here. "What is it?" Charlie asks, though she isn't all that interested. "Did Miles get caught wearing his jacket inside out again?"

"No." Jason gives her a serious look. "It was about you and Bass."

Charlie sits up quickly. As a drama filled family who is constantly surrounded by gossiping soldiers, Charlie, Bass, and Miles can't even eat breakfast without everyone knowing about it. Though it's been quite a while since there's been anything worth mentioning, so she's definitely curious about what people could be saying about she and her husband.

"What is it?" She asks, hoping that she doesn't sound too worried about it.

Jason leans in close and whispers, "everyone is saying that you and Bass can't have any children."

"What?"

He nods quickly and continues. "Yeah, they're even saying that you met with Maggie to try and find out if somethings wrong with you - well, your lady parts at least - and if that's why you can't get pregnant."

Charlie's heart sinks down into her stomach and she drops her head in her hands. Jason seems to think that this is an admission of truth and rubs her shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, don't worry about if Charlie. There are plenty of kids out there that need families. You guys could alway adopt."

"It's not that," she says, her voice muffled through her hands.

"Then what?"

Charlie lifts her head to look at him, sadness filling her usually happy face. "It's not that I can't have children, it's that Bass doesn't want them."

Jason stares at her. "Bullshit."

She jerks back a little, startled by the outburst from hertypically laid-back friend. "What do you mean?"

"Bass loves kids. Of course he wants them." He says simply.

Shaking her head sadly, Charlie takes another drink. The bottle is two-thirds of the way empty. "Every time I bring it up, he just ignores me, like he's afraid I'll get pregnant just by talking about it."

Jason frowns. "What's his problem? Why doesn't he want to have a baby?"

"Shelly, I think."

His frown slowly turns into a face of understanding. "Oh... God, it's been so long. I didn't even think of that."

"I know, but it was a really bad time for him. I think that he's just afraid the same thing could happen to me."

"That's no excuse to be a dick about it though," Jason says, suddenly angrily. Charlie raises her eyebrows at him, but he ignores it. "He could at least have the decency to tell you what's wrong instead of treating you like crap."

Charlie sighs. As grateful as she is to have Jason angry on her behalf, Bass is still her husband and she feels the need to defend him. "Bass treats me like a queen, you know that."

"But still," Jason persists. "You don't deserve to be ignored."

She reaches out an squeezes his hand gently. "I know. Thank you, Jason."

He squeezes back and then grins mischievously. "You want me to kick his ass? I'm sure that'll get him back on track."

Charlie throws her head back and laughs, the effort shaking her entire body. "Like you could! You can't even beat him at arm wrestling!"

Jason scoffs and sputters. "Well... Obviously, I can't just go around beating the President at stuff like that. It would make him look bad. But I could totally beat him if I actually wanted too."

This of course, only makes her laugh harder.

Jeremy enters the living room, finding Charlie laughing hysterically and Jason pouting like a child. He ignores this, as it's how the two of them are often found, and tosses a pillow from an armchair directly at her face. It shocks her from her laughter and she throws it aside with a scowl. "Hey, what was that for?" She whines.

"How many times have I told you to quit trying to push me and Maggie together?"

Her face breaks into a huge grin. "Soooo, how'd it go?" Ignoring the annoyed look on his face, she scoots to the edge of her seat and leans in excitedly. "Did you kiss her?"

Jeremy huffs and plops down in the chair. "No, I did not kiss her. Maggie and I are friends. That's it." Charlie and Jason share a quick glance, then promptly burst into laughter. Rolling his eyes at the two drunk idiots, Jeremy leaves the room and heads off to bed.

After they've laughed themselves hoarse, Jason leans back on the couch and closes his eyes. Charlie slides over to him and tucks her feet up under herself, resting her head on his shoulder.

"What am I going to do about Bass?" She asks after a few minutes.

Jason sighs and wraps an arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. "I don't know," he admits quietly. "But we'll figure it out. Just be patient with him." Nodding, Charlie drifts off to sleep on his shoulder and Jason follows soon after.

Miles wanders into the living room several hours later in search of his expensive bottle of scotch. He finds it mostly empty, discarded on the floor near Charlie's feet. She's snoring away on Jason's shoulder and he's sleeping with his head tilted back and his mouth wide open. Miles resists the temptation to drop something disgusting in his mouth and instead grabs a blanket to cover them up. They look so much like the little kids they used to be that for a moment he's tempted to kiss both of their foreheads, but he doesn't. He shakes that thought away, blaming it on the booze, and goes in search of a different bottle.

* * *

A/N OK, I lied. (Shocking, I know. :-)) No Charloe in this one. But I write what's on my mind and for some reason Jason was there today. I like to think that this is what their friendship would have looked like (eventually) if the writers hadn't killed him off. I plan to start the Bass/Charlie pregnancy talk as soon as I post this, I promise!


	21. Chapter 21

Charlie makes her way through Independence Hall in the direction of her husband's office. He's been off in Delaware for over a week and she's missed him every second. After all, this is the longest they've been a part since they were married eleven months and four days ago. She bounds up to his office door and grins at Maddox, the head of his personal guard.

"So, how's our President?" She asks him, half joking and half curious as to what he's been up to for the past nine days.

Maddox smiles knowingly. "Tired, I think. He said he wanted to get back to work right away, but it's been a while since I heard him moving around in there." He jerks his head in the direction of the office and lowers his voice conspiratorily. "Truthfully, I think our President is napping."

Snorting, Charlie eases the office door open and slips inside. She is completely unsurprised to find Bass slumped forward on his desk, pen still in hand, drooling on the memo he was halfway through writing. A few of his too long curls are hanging over his forehead and she brushes them away with a smile. Despite her irritation with him at his lack of communication where their future is concered, Charlie loves this man with all of her heart. He sighs as her fingers ghost over his skin and he turns his face into her touch, murmuring her name.

"You need a haircut," she tells him softly as his eyes flutter open.

"I though you liked the scruffy look," he rasps, grabbing her hand and kissing her fingers.

"I do, but I don't think the people want to see their president walking around like he just rolled out of bed." She stands next to him and leans on the edge of his desk.

Bass chuckles softly and lifts his head up from the desk, seemingly deciding that Charlie's stomach will make a softer pillow. He leans against her, resting his cheek right over her belly button, and wraps his arms around her hips with his hands placed happily on her cushy bottom. He turns his nose into her shirt for a moment and takes a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent.

"I'm never leaving again," he says, his voice almost childlike. "Missed you too much."

Charlie smiles, looking down at his tired face as she runs her fingers through his long curls. He's got his eyes closed again and is most likely moments away from sleep.

"You need to go to bed," she tells him firmly. His response is merely a huff, which makes her laugh. "See? You're too tired to even argue about it."

"Am not," he mumbles.

Rolling her eyes, Charlie pulls herself out of his arms and steps away from the desk, causing him to reach for her with weak limbs. He gives up after just a moment and lays his head back on the desk, though he glares at her petulantly. "Come closer," he whines, reaching for her again.

Charlie can't help but grin at him. "Nope. You need to get up and go take a nap."

A huge yawn tears through him and he gives up all pretense of not being tired. "'S too far."

Grabbing him under the arm, Charlie hauls her husband to his feet and drags him out of his office. The guards on duty say nothing as they escort their half asleep President and his amused wife though the halls. At this point, they're used to it. She dumps him onto their bed and immediately starts pulling off his boots. Bass wakes up enough to lift his head and waggle his eyebrows at her. "Gonna come join me?"

Snorting, Charlie yanks his pants off and tosses them to the floor before climbing onto the bed to work him out of his jacket and shirt. "Even if I didn't have work to do right now, I wouldn't bother getting into bed with you."

He frowns up at her as she pushes his shirt over his head and tosses it over her shoulder. "And why is that?" He asks, suddenly seeming more awake.

Charlie lowers her head and presses a long kiss to his lips before whispering, "because you and I both know that you'll be asleep in about five seconds, so what good would you do me?"

He tries to glare at her, but the affect is ruined by his drooping eyelids. "Later," he murmers, and Charlie agrees if for no other reason than the fact that he's adorable when he's sleepy.

XxX

The next afternoon, Bass joins her in the kitchen for lunch looking well rested and presentable. His curls have been trimmed and are arranged neatly on his head.

"You got a haircut," Charlie says, smiling as he gives her a quick kiss. He takes a seat at the table and immediately starts attacking his food.

"Yeah, I skipped breakfast for it."

Charlie leans over and runs her fingers through the now, short curls. "That was fast. I only told you that you needed it done yesterday."

He shrugs, gulping down a glass of water and shoving part of his sandwich into his mouth. "Well," he says around a mouth full of food. "My dad used to tell me, 'happy wife, happy life.' I figure he had the right idea, so if a haircut makes you happy, then consider it done."

Charlie nods in understanding, watching as her husband continues to devour his food as if it'll be his last meal. It's sweet that he cares so much about what she thinks, but she wishes that it went deeper than just how long his hair has gotten.

"What if I wanted something else to make me happy?" She asks quietly. The serious tone of her voice causes Bass to stop shoveling and turn his attention all on her. He shallows hard around the mouthful of food, then takes her hand.

"I'll do anything for you, Charlie. You know that."

She nods, biting her lip, trying to decide how to talk to him about a baby without upsetting him. "Then I want you to talk to me," she finally says. At his confused look, she clarifies. "I mean, I want you to talk to me and be honest."

He furrows his eyebrows, clearly confused by her words. "I've never lied to you, Charlie. Never. You know I can't keep a secret to save my life, anyway."

"I know you're not keeping secrets. But simply refusing to talk about having a baby is almost as bad."

Bass' mouth drops open and he slumps back in his chair, avoiding her eyes. It takes a minute for him to gather his thoughts, but when he does, he looks straight at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry." He squeezes her hand in his, but says nothing else. Charlie wonders if he's even realized how much he's been avoiding the topic.

"I know you're scared, Bass." She tells him gently. "I am, too. But we can't let Shelly's death stand in the way of our future."

He tenses up at the mention of his first wife, but says nothing.

"At first I thought that if I gave you time, you would come around on your own. But that was wishful thinking. You're afraid, I get that. But the only way to get over your fear, is to face it head on."

Bass lets out shaky breath and climbs to his feet to start pacing. "Do you even hear yourself?" He asks incredulously, though Charlie gets the feeling that he's not even really talking to her.

"If we try to have a... a..." He groans in frustration, grabbing at his freshly cut hair. "You could die, Charlie!" He shouts suddenly.

Getting quickly to her feet, Charlie rushes over and embraces her husband, cooing softly in his ear to soothe him. He wraps his arms tightly around her and buries his face in her hair as he tries to take deep breaths.

"We have doctors, now." She says after a while. "Maggie is the best there is. And we have a roof over our heads, plenty of food to eat. This is as safe as any baby could possibly hope to be."

"What if it's not enough?" He asks weakly.

Blinking back tears, Charlie whispers back, "I still think we should try. We'll never forgive ourselves if we don't give our family a chance."

Bass takes a deep breath and starts to untangle himself from her slowly. He gently cups her cheeks, brushing away the single tear that managed to escape. "OK," he says softly.

"Really?"

He smiles and pulls her in for a lingering kiss. "Really. I knew when I married you that you would want kids someday, I guess I just didn't think it would be so soon."

"Well it doesn't have to be right this second, but hopefully sooner rather than later."

Bass wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close, his hand sliding down to caress the skin beneath the hem of her shirt. "Soon?" He asks in a low voice. "Now, maybe?"

Charlie wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a deep kiss. "I like the way you think."

* * *

A/N So next up, Ben and Danny! Possibly Rachel? Not sure on her, I haven't decided yet. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, I love hearing from you guys!


	22. Chapter 22

Jason makes his way through Independence Hall on his regular route for check-ins with his men. He calls them 'his men' even though they technically aren't. They are men and women assigned to protect the capital just like him. But as a Lieutenant and trusted friend of the President and General, he has been tasked with the general security of Independence Hall. His duty is to keep the building secure as well as all of its occupants, though the President's personal security is overseen by Captain Maddox. Charlie and Miles are both supposed to have personal security teams as well, but he and Bass had quit trying to impose that on them years ago since neither would listen. Because of that, Charlie's security also falls under his responsibilities, though only when she's in the house or on the grounds. He doesn't bother trying to help Miles anymore, it'd probably just get him another drunken lecture on war tactics.

He checks in with Sergents Kale and Bowman along the southwest corridor and moves along the west wing toward Sergent Phillips who is stationed in the residential area with Lowery. To the east side, Sergent Thomas guards the south end of the hallway full of upper command offices with Gordon at the other side. His friend and fellow Lieutenant, Collin Zimmerman is assigned directly to the Vice President's office. When she's in a good mood, Charlie even pretends not to notice him following her around.

Sergent Rolland, who is one of the guards assigned to the front door, comes running down the hallway in a panic.

"Lieutenant Neville," he breaths, giving him a sloppy salute. "You gotta come to the front. There's this guy, he's yelling and screaming-"

"-About what?" Jason cuts him off.

"Something about the General." Rolland shrugs. "It's kind of hard to understand him, sir."

Jason nods. This isn't the first crazy guy they've had on their doorstep. "Alright, back to your post, Sergent." Rolland takes off as Jason looks around the corridor and nods to Collin and the door that Charlie is currently behind. "Keep and eye on things back here," he says.

Collin nods in understanding. Charlie is his priority. "You got it."

Out on the front lawn, a man dressed in tattered clothes is trying to force his way past Sergent Rolland so he can get in the house. Jason can see a small wagon led by a single horse out on the road with a tired looking woman standing next to it. She's watching the man fight with Rolland with a blank expression.

"Rolland," Jason shouts over the noise. "Cuff this idiot and put him in a cell. I'll deal with him later." The Sergent hastens to obey, disappearing with the dirty, angry man into the house. Jason cautiously approaches the woman with the wagon.

"Ma'am, I'm Lieutenant Jason Neville, head of security at Independence Hall. Do you know the man that was just arrested?"

The woman turns to look at him with wide, pale blue eyes. Her face is covered in dust from traveling and her long, blonde hair is matted with dirt. "Yes," she says calmly. "He's my husband."

"Your husband?" Jason asks, slightly surprised by her aloof attitude. "Alright... Well, can you tell me what you and your husband are doing here?"

Suddenly, the woman's face turns grim. "I'm here to see Miles," she says quickly.

This confuses him, of course. Outside of the few people in the Matheson/Monroe family circle, no one calls the general by his first name. "Do you mean General Matheson?"

Her eyes flicker with anger. "Miles," she says firmly. "I need to see him."

The way she's referring to not only his General, but trusted friend and practically family member, irritates him. "Listen, even if General Matheson were here, you can't just walk into Independence Hall expecting to see him."

The woman appears to hear nothing he says except for the fact that Miles isn't home. "Not here?" She shakes her head in an irritated sort of way. "Bass. Then I need to talk to Bass."

Jason scoffs. "OK, I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just demand to speak to the President. It doesn't work that way."

She glares at him. Red, hot anger burning in her eyes. "Who am I?" She asks in a mocking tone. "I'm Rachel Matheson. And I will see Bass. Now."

Jason stares at her. "Excuse me?" He says stupidly.

"Matheson," she says harshly. "Rachel Matheson. And I need to speak to Bass."

"I'm sorry, but the President isn't here. He left for Trenton last week."

"Then take me to Charlie!" She shouts at him.

"Charlie?"

"Yes, you idiot. I want to see my daughter!"

And now, just like her husband had, the woman runs toward the doors of Independence Hall and attempts to get inside. Still slightly in shock, Jason yells to Rolland who has just come back outside. "Get her inside now!"

The Sergent nods and does as he's told, leaving Jason out front with the couple's abandoned wagon and a handful of Privates. He turns to the nearest one. "Find Captain Baker and tell him report immediately. Tell him it's a family emergency."

The Private takes off at top speed as Jason addresses the rest of the group. "As for the rest of you, not a word of this to anyone. There will be no gossip about the man and woman who arrived today. Is that understood?" They all murmer in agreement. "Alright, then get back to your posts."

Finally, Jason turns to the wagon. He pats the horse on the neck before peering into the small wagon bed, letting out a gasp of shock at the sight of the young man sleeping there. He moves around to the back of the wagon to get a better look at the man. He's more like a boy, really. Late teens with dirty, blonde hair and grimy, pale skin. Jason nudges the boy's leg with a hand.

"Hey, kid. Wake up."

The boy stirs slowly, blinking up at the brightness of the afternoon sun. "Are we there yet?" He asks in a sleepy voice, then he coughs and clutches his chest as if he's in pain.

A little on edge about the possible Matheson's in the house, Jason isn't in the mood to play games. "What's your name, kid?"

He blinks over at Jason, his eyes blearily taking in the militia uniform. "Uh, Danny. Danny Matheson." He sits up suddenly. "Where's my mom and dad?" Then he coughs again, harder this time.

"Are you alright?" Jason asks uncertainly.

The kid nods. "Just my asthma." Though it's useless as he drops into a coughing fit.

Jason signals to Rolland as he once again returns from inside the house. "Take the kid inside and put him in a room. And get him some water."

Rolland disappears with the coughing kid as Jason turns to another Private. "Go find Doctor Foster and tell her she's needed at Independence Hall." The kid starts to go, but Jason pulls him back for a moment. "Tell her to come straight to me and not to let the Vice President know she's here." The young Private appears confused, but does as he's told.

Of all the things for him to have to deal with while the President and General are away, the possible arrival of Charlie's parents is not something he was anticipating.

Maggie arrives mere minutes later, breathless, with her medical bag swinging on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Who's hurt? How's Charlie?"

Jason sets his hands on her shoulders to settle her, very conscious of the guards in the hallway watching them. "Let's talk in here." He leads her into a spare room and sits her down in a chair.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, but I couldn't risk Charlie finding out."

"Finding out about what?"

"Just a little while ago, a man and a woman arrived claiming to be Ben and Rachel Matheson."

Maggie's eyes grow huge with shock. "That's... That's fantastic! Why wouldn't you want Charlie to know?"

Jason sighs. "Because for all we know, they could be impostors."

"What are you talking about?"

"It wouldn't be the first time. It's widely known around the Republic that Miles has been searching for Charlie's parents for years. We've had dozens of couples show up claiming to be Ben and Rachel, but they've all been fakes. At first, Charlie would get excited when they came because she thought it meant that her parents had come for her, but every time she'd be more and more dissapointed when it turned out not to be true. After a while, Miles devised a system to keep the people claiming to be her parents a secret until their identities could be verified, that way if they turned out to be fakes, she wouldn't have to be disappointed."

"So you think these people are impostors," Maggie says simply.

Just then, the door flings open and Jeremy hurries into the room. "Have they been isolated?" He asks without preamble.

"Yes, both of them had to be restrained and put in holding cells. They were pretty pushy."

Jeremy nods, then notices Maggie for the first time. "Doctor Foster," he says, turning slightly pink. "What are you doing here?" He turns to Jason. "She's not supposed to know about this."

"Know about what?" Maggie asks, looking between the two of them.

Jason sighs. "She's here for the kid."

"Kid?" Jeremy asks, his interest clearly piqued.

"Yeah. The couple brought a boy with them, he said his name is Danny."

"Oh," Maggie sighs. "Charlie will be so excited that her brother is here."

"You're sure?" Jeremy asks seriously.

"He's the right age, too. When I talked to him he was coughing, he said something about having asthma."

Maggie nods as if this makes perfect sense. "Well, yes. Miles has said before that Charlie's little brother was sickly. His lung condition could have caused asthma." She looks between Jason and Jeremy suspiciously. "What's going on? Why does the boy matter so much?"

Jeremy gives her a sympathetic look. "Because not many people know that Charlie has a brother. _We_ know she does because we're close to her, but the general public has never been told about the Matheson's son. It's one of the questions we use to weed out impostors." He looks over at Jason. "You think it's really them, don't you."

"Yeah, I just... I've got a feeling."

"Well, we should tell Charlie," Maggie says excitedly.

"No!" The boys say together.

"We can't," Jeremy adds calmly. "It's Miles' number one rule. Charlie isn't to know anything about these people until he or Bass have verified that they are who they claim to be."

"But Miles is weeks away in Providence," Maggie protests.

"And it'll take at least a week for Bass to turn around and come back." Jason adds.

"I know, I know," Jeremy says quickly. "We'll send riders out immediately. But in the meantime, we have to make sure that Charlie doesn't find out."

Maggie shakes her head. "She's not stupid Jeremy, if we deliberately try to distract her, she'll realize something's going on."

"OK, so it's business as usual. But we don't say a word to her about this."

Jason shifts uncomfortably on his feet. "I don't like lying to Charlie."

Jeremy glares at him. "These are direct orders from the General. You will do as you're told."

"I don't like it either," Maggie says quietly.

Jeremy's face softens as he looks down at her. "I don't like it either. But it's for her own protection. Alright?" She sighs heavily, but nods. "Jason?" He looks like he's eaten something sour, but he nods along as well.

"Good." He turns and opens the door for them both to exit the room. "Now let's go see about that patient."

As Jeremy and Maggie enter the room that holds the supposed Danny Matheson, Jason sends riders out to Miles and Bass. Hopefully, Bass can get home soon, otherwise the guilt of lying to his best friend might eat him alive.

* * *

A/N Sorry this took so long. A friend's grandpa passed away so I've been spending a lot of time over there with her. Anyway, I hope you guys are still liking this story. Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

Jeremy pauses outside the door leading into the supposed Danny Matheson's room and looks over at Maggie. "I know you need to do your doctor thing, but I also have to question this kid to see what he knows."

Maggie nods in understanding. "I'll try to keep the talking to a minimum. I just need to be close enough to treat him."

"Alright." Jeremy hesitates for a moment before laying a gentle hand on her arm. "Just be careful. If these people are frauds, they might be dangerous."

"You don't have to worry about me, Captain Baker." Maggie says, her face flushing red.

"I do, though. I worry." Jeremy says, his cheeks going slightly pink.

Maggie smiles shyly, then clears her throat. "Shall we get started then?"

"Uh, right. Yeah."

Jeremy straightens his shoulders and knocks once on the door before letting himself in. The boy is sitting on the edge of a king sized bed, his chest heaving with every harsh breath. Maggie rushes forward and immediately starts pulling things out of her bad.

"My name is Maggie," she tells the boy calmly. "I'm a doctor and I'm going to help you, alright?"

The boy looks up at her and nods quickly, trying valiantly to suck air through his lungs. "As-as," he draws in a long rattling breath. "Asthma."

"I know, it's alright. Just try to relax and take deep breaths."

The boy nods as she digs around in her bag, pulling out a small glass and several containers full of what appear to be random ingredients. "Jeremy, I need water," she says urgently as she adds various things to the glass.

Jeremy hastens to obey seeing as how the kid seems to be turning a little blue. He grabs a water jug from a nearby coffee table and nearly trips over a rug in his hurry to help. Maggie adds some water to her strange concoction and uses a little spoon to stir it up and crush some of the ingredients together. When she's satisfied with the apparent gloop in the glass, she shoves it into the boys hands and says, "drink all of, quickly."

The kid doesn't even hesitate, he doesn't even stop to wonder if the militia Captain and self-proclaimed doctor might want to hurt him. He sucks the disgusting looking drink down in two big gulps and gags.

"Ew," he gasps. "What is that?" But seeing as how the mixture is already working its magic on his lungs, he doesn't seem overly concerned about it.

Maggie pulls and old, overused stethoscope from her bag and unceremoniously pulls the kids shirt up to expose his pale, boney chest. The kid struggles against her for a moment, but stops when he realizes she's trying to help. After a quick exam, Maggie retreats to the far side of the room to put together something else to help him breathe.

With his breathing finally under control, the kids looks at Jeremy curiously. "Am I in trouble or something? I came her with my parents, but no one will let me see them. Are they OK?"

Jeremy studies the kid quietly, understanding exactly what Jason meant about having a 'feeling' when it comes to these people. There's something eerily familiar about the kid's wide eyes and his apparently genuine concern for his family. It reminds him of Charlie. Particularly, a younger, more innocent one. These days, Charlie has heard far too many war stories and witnessed too many battles to be naive.

"Your parents are fine, kid, but they're being held temporarily for attempting to break into the building."

"You guys aren't gonna kill them, are you?"

Jeremy raises his eyebrows in shock. "Why on earth would we kill them for that?" He asks incredulously.

The kids shrugs sheepishly. "My mom says that that's what the militia does."

"What exactly is it that your mother thinks we do here?"

His shoulders slump in defeat. "She says that the militia takes advantage of people like us. People with nothing to give and no way to protect themselves."

This reaction to the militia is not uncommon, though the people who usually oppose them aren't small families. Usually, it's the people that are trying to get away with something illegal that complain about oppression. But based on what he's seen of the kid in the past ten minutes, he's no criminal.

"Your parents are safe, you have my word." Jeremy tells him. "But if they are going to be released, I'm going to need to question them. I'd like to ask you a few questions as well if you're feeling up to it, and if Doctor Foster clears you." He looks to Maggie who is currently mixing up something slimy in a bowl. She gives the boy a quick once over with her eyes and nods.

"As long as you keep it brief. He needs rest."

"Alright, first things first, what is your full name and date of birth?"

The boy stares at him like he thinks he might be joking, but answers when no one laughs. "Danny, I mean, Daniel. Daniel Benjamin Matheson. I was born May 8th, 2009."

Jeremy nods. These people have either really done their homework, or they really are Charlie's family. But there are still plenty more questions to ask. "And your parents names?"

"Ben and Rachel Matheson."

"Where are you from?"

"Atlanta, Georgia."

Even Maggie stops mixing her goo so she can look at Danny. Jeremy gives the boy a curious look. Of all the things to get wrong, where the Matheson's are from is a stupid thing to miss.

"Captain, if I may," Maggie interrupts. Jeremy gives her a small nod, and she directs her gaze to Danny. "I believe the Captain meant to ask where you were born."

"Oh, I was born in Chicago. My parents left the city after the blackout. They were worried that they wouldn't be able to protect me there."

That makes more sense. It's also along the lines of what Miles told him to expect. "OK, and what about your sister?" He asks casually.

Danny's face scrunches up in confusion. "I don't have a sister. I'm an only child."

Maggie accidently knocks over the water jug, spilling it's contents all over the rug. Jeremy ignores her swearing under her breath and keeps looking at Danny. "Only child?"

"Yeah, it's just me, Mom, and Dad."

"Not even an older sibling, possibly off happily married?"

Danny shakes his head, obviously bewildered. "No, why would ask me that?"

Jeremy looks over at Maggie again. She's left the water jug laying on the floor and hasn't even bothered to clean up the mess. Instead, she's staring at the young Matheson boy at a complete loss for words.

"It doesn't matter," Jeremy tells the kid quickly. He then goes to Maggie and pulls her to her feet before all but dragging her from the room.

The door isn't even shut behind them when Maggie bursts out, "no sister? What does he mean no sister?"

The guards in the hallway are all watching them with careful eyes, so Jeremy pulls her down the hall away from them. She grumbles the whole way, attempting to pull out of his grip as they go. "Would you calm down?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you never to tell a woman to calm down!" She shouts at him.

Sighing, Jeremy releases her, though she doesn't move to leave. She merely starts pacing the floor in front of him, a move he notes that Charlie has picked up from her. He watches her worry at her bottom lip with her teeth and can't help but smile as she starts to mutter. "These people clearly aren't who they say they are. No sister." She scoffs. "You should send them out of the house immediately." Maggie finally stops to look at him, frowning at the small smile playing on his lips. "What?"

He shakes his head to clear the thoughts of her plump bottom lip and clears his throat. "I agree that it's a stupid thing for him to get wrong, but I don't think he's lying."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that regardless of what we think, that boy honestly believes that what he is saying is the truth."

"But how could he not know about having a sister?" Maggie asks.

"I have no idea. But I'm going to question the parents and find out."

XxX

Jason does his best to put the Matheson family out of his mind for the rest of the day, but everywhere he goes he can feel the men watching him. Despite ordering people not to gossip about their eventful arrival, it appears that word has still traveled fast. Luckily, Charlie has to work through lunch so he doesn't have to worry about accidentally spilling the secret until after. She comes out of the office around mid-afternoon for a much needed break.

"Ah, fresh air!" She says as they make their way into the gardens. Jason chuckles and plays along while she throws herself onto the grass dramatically. They lay next to each other and stare up at the clear sky. "I don't know how the boys do it. I can't stand being cooped up in that office all day."

"Why do you think they skipped out to go on vacations and left you to do all the work?"

Charlie scoffs and slaps his arm. "Bass is not on vacation. He's on his way to Trenton for a peace campaign."

"Sounds like another way of saying vacation if you ask me."

"Well it's a good thing I didn't ask you then," she says haughtily.

Jason huffs a laugh but doesn't say anything more. "Hey, are you alright?" Charlie asks. She's giving him one of those wide eyed stares that make you think she can see into your mind.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" But even to his own ears, his voice isn't very convincing. Her eyebrows crease in concern as she sits up on the grass and looks down at him.

"Jason, tell me what's wrong."

He sighs, knowing that he'll never get away with a flat out lie, so he must tell her some form of the truth. "It's nothing, OK? Don't worry about it."

"Jason-"

"-Seriously, Charlie. You've got enough stuff on your plate right now, you don't need my crap on top of it."

"Jason, we're family. Dealing with each other's crap is what we do."

He can't help but smile at her. Even when she's burried under the responsibilities of a nation, Charlie makes a point to make time for her family. That doesn't change the fact that he still can't tell her, though.

"I know that, which is why I recruited Jeremy to help me with my crap instead of you, so that I could help you with your crap while he deals with mine."

Charlie opens her mouth to argue with his logic but ends up saying, "Wait, what?" They stare at each other for a second, then both burst into laughter. As Charlie calms down, she reaches for his hand and gives it a squeeze. "Seriously, though, are you OK?"

Guilt pulls at him like a magnet. The only reason she's worried about him is because he's preoccupied with being worried about her, which makes this entire conversation his fault.

"Listen, everything is under control. You don't need to worry about anything."

She sighs, obviously still skeptical. "Promise?"

Oh, no. Giving a promise to Charlie Matheson and breaking it is probably the stupidest thing anyone could possibly do.

"Yeah, I promise."

Oh, well. No one's ever accused him of being very bright, anyway.


	24. Chapter 24

After seeing that Maggie is safely out of the building, and temporarily out of Charlie's reach, Jeremy directs himself towards the basement and his two new prisoners. The supposed Ben and Rachel Matheson are being held in cells right next to each other, though two guards are stationed right in front of them to prevent them from talking to each other. As he approaches, the man looks up at him hopefully but the woman merely scowls in his direction and turns away.

"I was told that the two of you came here wanting to speak to General Matheson," he says to the room at large. The woman gives him an unimpressed look, but the man nods at him through the bars.

"Yes, well, we came for Charlie too."

"Sir, I have to tell you that around here we don't typically refer to the Vice President by her first name. It's either Madam Vice President or Mrs. Monroe."

The woman scoffs. _"Monroe."_

"Is there a problem, ma'am?"

The man shrugs apologetically for his wife and says, "but she's our daughter."

Jeremy studies the soft features of the man's face. He has kind eyes and a gentle smile, all things that he associates with Charlie. "We have yet to prove whether or not you are who you say you are, so in the meantime, show some respect."

The man stares at him confusedly. "Why on earth would we lie about who our daughter is?"

"I don't know," Jeremy says. "But if you are Ben Matheson and that boy upstairs is Danny, maybe you can explain to me why he has no idea that he has a sister."

Ben steps back from the bars as if he's been physically struck, his face filling with guilt. Jeremy looks over at the woman who is glaring right at him.

"How dare you," she growls. "You had no right talking to my son!" She jumps to her feet, her voice rising with her anger. "You have no right to treat us like criminals, we just want our daughter back!"

"You and your husband attempted to break into the building, which means that I have every right to question you however I see fit. And as far as 'getting your daughter back' goes, don't you think you're a bit late? It's been almost seventeen years since the blackout. Why the hell are you just now showing up?"

Rachel sits back down on the cot in her cell with her lips pursed. "This is ridiculous. I don't have to defend myself to you. I want to speak to Miles."

Jeremy can't help it, he actually laughs at her. "And you think that Miles isn't going to ask you the same exact thing? He's been taking care of Charlie for longer than you even knew her. He raised that girl, protected her from crazies of the world, even gave her away at her wedding. Trust me lady, if you want this to go well for you, you'll talk to me."

Ben leans wearily against the bars of his cell. "We didn't mean for this happen. We... we wanted to come sooner."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because Danny was sick and-"

"-He has no idea who Charlie is?"

Ben sighs. "Look, we left Chicago right after the blackout. We headed straight for Miles in North Carolina, but even then with a sick toddler and just the two of us, it took over fifteen months to get there. And when we did finally get to his house, what we found was..."

"Bodies." Rachel finishes for him. "Two men had been shot in the living room. They had been dead for a while and were badly decomposed, but they fit Miles and Bass' general descriptions. Plus, they were in Miles' house. We thought... we thought that Miles and Bass had been killed but that Charlie must have been taken. We figured by then that she was probably dead too."

Ben nods in agreemen. "And Danny was just a little kid, not even four years old yet. It killed us to think that we would never see our baby girl again. It was too hard to talk about, so we just didn't. As Danny got older, he knew nothing about her because we never talked about her."

As stupid as the whole thing sounds, Jeremy hates that it sort of makes sense. "OK, say I believe you. For those first few years you thought they were dead, but then why didn't you come looking for her again when you heard about the Republic."

Ben shifts uncomfortably. "We didn't know she was here, we thought it was just Miles and Bass."

"Bullshit," Jeremy spits at him. "Charlie's been well known all over the place as the General's niece since she was introduced at the anniversary gala when she was twelve years old. Plus, your kid told me that you guys have been living in Atlanta. Charlie's visited Atlanta no less than five times. The first time when she was fourteen. Not to mention the fact that President Foster came all the way to Philly just for the ceremony when Charlie was named Vice President of the Republic on her eighteenth birthday." He stops to draw in a deep breath.

"There is no way in hell that you didn't know she was alive all this time."

Ben slumps down onto his cot and puts his head in his hands. "We didn't know for sure. At first we thought it was just Miles and Bass, but then when they visited Atlanta and we actually saw Charlie..."

"Why didn't say anything?" Jeremy asks angrily. "You guys were right there the whole time!"

"Danny was already a teenager and he had no idea that we were related to Miles, nonetheless that he had a sister. It just... it would have been too hard to explain it to him."

"So you just didn't bother? You just left your daughter alone, letting her wonder forever if her parents cared or if they were even alive?"

"It wasn't like that," Ben says desperately.

"Then tell me, what was it like?"

"We thought Miles had it under control!" Rachel bursts out angrily.

Ben flinches at the sound of her voice, but all Jeremy can do is stare at her in confusion. "What?"

Rachel huffs and whips a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket. "We thought he was taking care of her," she hisses as she shoves the paper under his nose. Jeremy takes the paper, recognizing it as a part of a newspaper and looks at the article that Rachel apparently though was important enough to carry around with her.

' _The Monroe Republic: A True Family Business'_

Beneath the heading is a black and white photograph of Bass and Charlie on their wedding day. He looks at the caption beneath the picture.

' _Sebastian Monroe, President of the Monroe Republic, marries his second in command, Vice President Charlotte Matheson. Below: General Miles Matheson with his newlywed niece.'_

Jeremy takes a moment to admire how happy Bass and Charlie look in their picture and how proud Miles is in his before turning back to the two Matheson's. He waves the paper around and shrugs. "I don't get it."

Rachel snatches the paper back from him and looks down at the picture of her daughter with sad eyes. "My little girl," she whispers softly to no one in particular. "And they're using her like some political toy!" She shouts all of a sudden. "Miles was supposed to be taking care of her but instead he married her off to a man twice her age for his own political gain."

Jeremy has to stop and take a step back for a second. "Wait, you think that Charlie was forced into marrying Bass? That's why you decided to come here all of a sudden?"

"We left as soon as we saw the article in the paper," Rachel explains calmly. "But Danny's been sick so it took us longer to get here than we would have liked."

If it weren't for the fact that they both appeared to be completely serious, Jeremy would have thought that this entire thing was a joke. He kind of wishes it was. "Listen, you guys have this all wrong-"

"-I think we've had enough of your stupid questions," Rachel says nastily. "I'd like to see my daughter now."

The look on Ben's face says that he feels the same way, so Jeremy just shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until Miles or Bass return and can confirm your identities before you'll be allowed to see Charlie. In the meantime, you'll just have to be patient."

He leaves them there, both with irritated looks on their faces, and heads to his office where he pours himself a nice, strong drink.

XxX

As the Vice President, and acting President while Bass is out of town, it's Charlie's job to know what is happening in the Republic at any given time. Part of how she accomplishes this, is with the help of her friends. Jeremy, for starters. His rank as Captain, not to mention his social butterfly qualities, make him the perfect person to know the gossip going around town.

But Jer isn't the only one. Jason may not be as high up as him, but her best friend isn't good for nothing. He's a smart guy with a pretty face, and he knows how to use it. If a woman under the age of thirty has a plan, Charlie would be willing to bet her husband that Jason knows about it.

But having helpers doesn't mean Charlie isn't capable of gathering intel on her own. For instance, she's fairly certain that someone in Independence Hall is currently keeping secrets. Given that fact that most people aren't that stupid, that narrows her list of suspects down to just a few people.

Two, to be exact.

"Good morning, Captain Baker." Charlie lets herself into his office and hands the man a steaming cup of coffee, giving him her best smile. Jeremy, who is certainly no idiot, gives the cup a suspicious look before turning it her way.

"Good morning, Madam Vice President. Is there something I can help you with?"

Charlie glares at him. "Cut the crap, Jer. Tell me what's going on."

He blows out a long breath, carefully setting the cup down on his desk. "I'm afraid I don't now what you mean, Ma'am."

"Don't _ma'am_ me. I know that something is going on around here and you are going to tell me what it is."

"Honestly Madam Vice President, there's nothing to report. If there were-"

"Jeremy Dylan Baker, you tell me what's going on right now or I swear to God, I will go to the clinic and tell Maggie that you've been in love with her since she gave you the Heimlich at my fifteenth birthday party."

His eyes go wide with shock but then narrow angrily. "You wouldn't."

"Watch me."

"That's blackmail."

Charlie scoffs. "What are you gonna do, tell on me? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that President Monroe will take my side."

"Only because you married him," Jeremy grumbles.

Smirking, Charlie slides into the seat in front of his desk. "Spill it, Baker."

The partially joking atmosphere of the room dissipates, leaving the two of them staring at each other with neither willing to relent.

"I can't tell you, Charlie."

"You can, you just _won't_. What is going on? This is my house and I'm in charge, I have a right to know!"

"I know you do."

"Then why won't you tell me?" Charlie looks at him with wide eyes. "Please Jeremy?" Her lips tilt into a small pout, causing him to groan.

"Oh, come on! That's not fair!"

Dropping all pretense of being an adult, Charlie hops up and down in her seat and whines. "Please Jeremy, I promise I won't tell!"

He claps his hands over his ears and squeezes his eyes shut. "Enough, enough!" Charlie stops immediately.

"I want to tell you. Believe me, I really do. But I have orders and I have to follow them."

"Bass put you up to this?" Charlie asks, suddenly worried. She can already picture dozens of horrible scenarios that her husband may be trying to protect her from. "What's happened? Is he OK?"

"He's fine. They're both fine, I promise. And these orders came from Miles, not Bass."

"What could Miles possibly be trying to hide from me? We don't keep secrets from each other. About anything. Ever. Why wouldn't he tell me that something is going on?"

Jeremy leans back in his chair with a sigh. Sixteen years he's known this girl, woman, now married and running a country. Miles has built her up into one of the toughest people he's ever met, but the slightest betrayal on Miles' part could bring the whole thing crashing down. Jeremy loves Charlie like she's his own niece and would hate to see that happen.

"Miles loves you, Charlie. You need to remember that." He says soothingly.

"You're taking his side?" She asks incredulously. "You're supposed to be my friend!"

"I am your friend, but I'm also Miles' friend and Bass' friend. And as a member of this family and a soldier of the Republic, it's my duty to keep the peace. I'm not taking sides."

Charlie glares at him, her eyes full of anguish. "Real family doesn't lie." She jumps up from her seat and runs to the door.

"Charlie wait!" But it's too late, she's already slammed it shut.

Jeremy leans back in his chair and stares at the ceiling. "We're so fucked."


	25. Chapter 25

Of all the people that could lie to her, Charlie never expected Miles to be one of them. The knowledge that he is deliberately keeping secrets from her, big ones if Jeremy's attitude is any indication, is downright depressing. There's a pit growing in her stomach at the mere thought of his treachery.

Charlie shakes her head at herself as she storms down the hallway from Jeremy's office. Perhaps she's being a little over dramatic. But then again, never once in her life has she kept a secret from her uncle. He was the first person she told about her crush on Bass when she was eleven and he was the first one to know when it grew into something more. On the day Bass proposed, Miles was the first person she sought out to tell. Miles is more than just her uncle. He's her friend and confidant. He's practically her father. He is her father as far as she's concerned. But even after all that, he's still keeping secrets.

Her feet carry her through the house without her notice. Past the offices and conference rooms, through the residential wing, and into the kitchens without a second thought. She nearly runs over poor Marla as she pushes a cart loaded with hot tea and breakfast out into the hallway.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Mrs. Monroe!" Marla, a thin older woman with streaks of grey in her ginger hair, hastily starts brushing imaginary dirt from the front of Charlie's clothes in apology.

Charlie fends the woman off with a smile that she manages to dredge up from nowhere. "No, I'm sorry. I should watch where I'm going."

Marla nods politely and goes back to her tray. "Oh, don't worry about me. I know you're very busy."

Charlie gives her a small smile as the woman takes off down the hallway but something pokes irritatingly at the back of her mind. She shrugs it off and heads into the kitchen in search of a snack. About halfway through a freshly baked roll, it hits her.

 _Who is Marla taking breakfast to?_

Bass and Miles are both out of town, which means that the food isn't for them. And since she ate breakfast with Jason a little over an hour ago, she knows it isn't for him. The only other person in the house that would dare ask to have breakfast brought to them is Jeremy, but she happens to know for a fact he went out to have breakfast with Tom and Julia this morning.

 _So who is Marla taking breakfast to?_

The only other time breakfast is served somewhere outside the kitchen is when the person can't get to the kitchen. But last time she checked, no one in Independence Hall was sick. So that just leaves... prisoners.

Charlie drops her half eaten roll on the counter and rushes through the kitchen door in the direction Marla disappeared. She stops at the junction between three separate hallways, but the woman is no where in sight. Pointing to the young Private standing against the wall, she asks, "which way did Marla go?"

The young man shifts uncomfortably on his feet, looking anywhere but at her.

"I asked you a question soldier," she growls.

He huffs out a shaky breath and points down the hallway towards the north wing. "She went that way."

Without another word, Charlie hurries off down the hallway. The north wing is a part of the house that they rarely use. It's mainly full of guest rooms and supply closets. The only time they ever use it is when Kelly Foster or Frank Blanchard are in town. And even then, Frank's been known to simply sleep on the couch in the living room upstairs and Kelly usually ends up in Maggie's room since the doctor insists on staying at the clinic whenever possible.

 _So then who the hell is over here?_

She catches Marla as she is making her way back towards the kitchens with an empty cart.

"Mrs. Monroe." The woman's voice comes out as a worried squeak, making Charlie suspicious.

"Where did you take that food?" She asks, getting right to the point.

"Sorry?" Marla asks innocently.

Charlie's eyes narrow to slits. "The breakfast tray that was on your cart just a few minutes ago. Where did you take it?"

Just like the guard in the hallway, Marla shifts around awkwardly on her feet. She bites her lip and looks at her guiltily. "Ma'am, I'm not sure that I'm supposed to say."

Beneath the guilt, Charlie can also sense a bit of fear. Not caused by her of course, she would never hurt an employee, and definitely not Marla. But someone clearly has her spooked.

"Marla, I don't know what's going on, but I promise you that you are not in any trouble. I just want you to tell me where you took the food. That's all." Charlie tells her gently.

Marla checks up and down the hallway for anyone who might be listening before leaning in close. "I can't say anything for certain Mrs. Monroe, but you may want to check the room that President Blanchard usually doesn't stay in."

Charlie's face breaks out into a huge smile as she gives the older woman a quick hug. "Thank you, thank you."

"But you didn't hear it from," she says quickly.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

Charlie waits until Marla has gone back down the hallway and is out of sight before taking off to Frank's usual room. When there aren't any guests in town this part of the house is usually patrolled by a skeleton crew, but as she moves through the halls Charlie can tell that something is definitely going on over here. There are way too many guards around. She wonders what Jeremy could be hiding in Frank's room. And since Jason is in charge of house security, he must be in on it too. She pulls to a stop at the end of the hallway just a few feet from where Sergent Rolland is standing guard in front of a guest room door. His eyes widen in surprise at the sight of her.

"Mrs. Monroe, what are you doing all the way at this end of the house?" He asks in a shaky voice. Ignoring his question, Charlie brushes him aside.

"Wait, you can't go in there!"

"Excuse me?" Charlie asks with a raised eyebrow.

Rolland shallows thickly. "I just meant-"

"-Let me save you the trouble of lying to me Sergent. I am going to go in this room and you can not stop me, nor can Captain Baker or Lieutenant Neville. Understood?"

He nods. "Yes, ma'am."

Charlie twists the door knob and pushes the door open, revealing a pale, skinny boy seated at a coffee table devouring his breakfast. His light brown eyes snap up to meet hers as he chews around a mouthful of toast.

"Who are you?"

But Charlie doesn't respond right away. All she can do is stand and stare at this skinny kid who is apparently important enough for Miles, Bass, Jeremy, Jason, and half the house to keep hidden from her.

"Who am I?" She finally says back. "Since this is my house I think that you should tell me who _you_ are."

"You live here?" The boy asks incredulously.

Charlie scoffs at his incompetence. "Well, I am married to the President, so yeah, I live here."

The kid's mouth drops open in shock. "You're President Monroe's wife?"

His shock manages to distract her from her original mission. "Yes," she says defensively. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no. I just... I mean I thought Monroe was like, old. And you're hot."

Charlie huffs out an angry breath and crosses her arms over her chest. "My relationship with my husband is none of your business."

The kid shrugs apologetically. "I know that! I just- Forget it, forget I said anything."

The look on his face is sincere enough, causing Charlie to crack a smile. "Don't worry about it. I get that a lot."

"What, that you're hot?"

She snorts. "No, about Bass being older than me."

"Oh, right." He chuckles softly and gives her a curious look. "So... was there something you wanted from me?"

This kid, something about him is strange. Of all the things to keep secret, she can't figure out why the boys would pick him. He seems like an ordinary, good natured kid.

"Yeah, actually. I was just trying to figure out what you're doing here."

The kid opens his mouth but then shuts it again and shrugs. "Honestly, I have no idea. That guy, the big one with the blonde hair, said that my parents are being held for questioning and that I have to stay until they're done."

"You're parents? What did they do?"

"He said that they tried to break in or something. I don't know for sure." Suddenly, his voice changes and takes on a worried tone. "Are they in trouble? Am I in trouble?"

There's a sudden desire in her heart to calm this poor boy's nerves so Charlie takes a seat across the table from him and smiles gently. "Truthfully, I don't know at the moment. But I will go talk to Captain Baker and I'll figure out what's going on, alright?"

The boy sighs with relief. "Thank you, Mrs. Monroe."

"You can call me Charlie."

He nods. "Oh, I'm Danny, by the way. Danny Matheson."

The smile drops from Charlie's face. "What did you just say?"

"Uh, my name is Danny."

Charlie shakes her head roughly, trying to clear the sudden chaos in her mind. "Matheson?" She asks breathlessly.

"Uh, yeah. Are you OK? You don't look so good."

Charlie stands and staggers away from the couch. The boy, Danny, her brother, rises to steady her. With a hand on either side of her waist, he guides her slowly back to the couch. "You guys have that doctor around here don't you? The guy outside can get her."

He's halfway to the door when it bursts open and Jeremy rushes into the room with Jason at his heels. Danny jumps back and puts his hands in the air in surrender. "I didn't do anything, I swear! She just got all pale, I think she needs a doctor."

Jeremy tries to calm the kid down but Jason brushes right past him and goes straight for Charlie. He kneels down in front of her and cups her cheeks gently in his hands. "Charlie? Charlie?"

Shaking off his hands, Charlie looks directly into his deep, brown eyes. "It's Danny," she whispers.

Jason nods slowly. "I know. I know."

She sits up suddenly. "His parents. He said his parents are here. That _my_ parents are here."

"I know, Charlie."

"I need to see them."

Jason looks over to where Jeremy is still calming down a distraught Danny before pulling her to her feet. "You will, but right now I think you need to rest."

"No, I'm fine. I have to see them-"

"-Charlie, I know you want to but you can't right now."

The chaotic haze suddenly seems to raise from her mind. "You knew they were here. This is what you guys have been hiding."

Jason's face takes on a worried look as he all but drags her from the room. Charlie struggles against him, getting glimpses of Danny on her way out, but he's much bigger than she is.

"What are you doing? I just want to see him. He's my brother!"

Jason grabs her shoulders and yanks her towards him so their faces are only inches apart. "I know that," he hisses. "But that kid in there, Danny, he has no idea that he has a sister. He has no idea why he's here. And he has absolutely no clue that his parents have been lying to him his entire life."

The fight goes out of her, leaving Charlie propped against Jason for support. "What do you mean he doesn't know he has a sister?" She asks weakly.

"I don't know the full story, you'll have to ask Jer. But I do know that that poor kid has no idea what's going on and you fainting and screaming isn't going to help him."

Before she can respond, Jeremy comes out of the room. He gives her a quick once over as if checking to make sure she's all there before speaking. "Look, I know you're pissed, but I was just following orders. Miles wanted to make sure it was really them before he got your hopes up."

The understanding that this is all Miles' idea hurts, but she accepts it for it really is. He's just trying to protect her. "I know. But I still want to talk to them."

"You can't. We don't even know if these people really are your parents. For all we know they could be dangerous."

Charlie scoffs. "Did you see that kid in there? The only dangerous thing about him are those pointy elbows."

"OK, the kid's a lump. But the parents are different Charlie. We need to wait for Bass to come home so we can know for sure."

Propping a hand on her hip, Charlie glares at him. "Do you really think that Miles and Bass would leave this house, knowing full well that they might never come back, and leave me without some way of identifying my own parents? Because if you think they would then you clearly don't know them at all."

Jason stares at her with wide eyes. "Wait, how can you tell?"

"Why wouldn't either of them tell me?" Jeremy asks.

But Charlie simply shakes her head at them. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I need to speak to them. So where are they?"

Jeremy frowns but seems to realize his arguments aren't going to get him anywhere. "They're downstairs in holding cells."

"Bring them up to my office. I'll talk to them there."

"Are you sure about this?" Jason asks.

Charlie takes a deep breath and nods. "Just do it."

XxX

As she paces the office waiting for them to arrive, Charlie tries over and over again to remember what her parents looked like. But seventeen years is a long time to go without seeing someone and each time she tries to picture them in her mind they come back more and more distorted.

Her mother comes up as a faceless blob with blonde hair. She knows her hair was blonde because Miles told her. But the hair looks wild and curly, and she isn't sure if that's what it really looks like or if she's simply putting Maggie's hair on her mother's head. Her father is even harder to picture. She knows from what Bass has told her that Ben had dark hair but every time she tries to picture her father's face all she can see is Miles.

A sharp knock on the door jars her from her thoughts and she calls for them to come in as she straightens her shirt. Jeremy enters first; followed by a smaller man with unkempt, dark hair and bright, blue eyes. As soon as he sees her, he stops moving and just stares at her face with something like wonder in his eyes. The woman behind him has long, blonde hair. It's curly, but not as much as Maggie's. Her pale, blue eyes are searching Charlie's face for something but she isn't sure what.

"Hello," Charlie says, her voice much steadier than she would have ever thought possible.

The man let's out a muffled sort of squeak and moves towards her. "Charlie..." But Jeremy pulls him back before he even makes it two steps.

"Watch yourself," he growls.

While she appreciates that Jeremy is just trying to protect her, Charlie seriously doubts that this man means to do her any harm. Though she isn't sure she's up for hugs just yet.

"Why don't you both have a seat." She gestures to the two chairs sitting in front of her desk and watches as the man slowly takes a seat, his eyes never leaving her face. The woman is watching her more closely though. There's an air of suspicion about her that Charlie isn't sure she likes. She takes a seat next to her husband and looks up at Charlie expectantly.

"Thank you for bringing them up Captain Baker. You may go."

Jeremy gives her a _'you must be out of your mind'_ look but Charlie shoots him down with a glare. He huffs and steps out of the room, practically slamming the door on his way out.

"I'm surprised your administration allows that kind of insubordination," the woman says coolly.

"Captain Baker is a good man. He's just trying to do his job."

The woman nods and looks around the room appearing rather bored with the entire situation. "Your helper monkey said you wanted to speak to us?" Charlie can't help the growl that starts deep in her throat. There is something about this woman that she really doesn't like.

The man glares over at his wife. "Rachel, can you calm down for five minutes. Obviously this is a lot for her to process so just give her a second."

Much like she had with Danny earlier, Charlie feels an immediate connection with this man. There's something about him that puts her at ease, much like you would expect a father to. But there's still the matter of whether or not he actually is her father.

"I only have one question for you. If you answer correctly, then I will know that you really are my parents. Fail to answer, and you and your son will be charged with fraud and most likely be sent to a labor camp to work off your sentences. Do you understand?"

They both nod.

"On the night of the blackout my uncle received a phone call just before the power went out. Who called him and what did they say?"

Their faces go from eager to worried in a heartbeat.

"You have thirty seconds," Charlie tells them.

The man looks at his wife questioningly and Charlie sees her subtly shake her head. The man who is supposedly her father turns back to her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know."

It hurts, but after seventeen years it's not like she had high expectations of her parents ever showing up. She bites her lip to hold back the tears threatening to spill and nods. "I'll have Captain Baker take you back to holding. You'll await trial there."

But as she's crossing to the door, the man gets up and stands in her way. "Wait, please-"

"-Ben, shut up!" The woman shouts.

"It was me," he says quickly. "I called Miles."

The woman jumps up from her chair and yanks her husband backwards away from her. "I said, shut up!" She hisses.

"Hey!" Charlie shoves the woman back and grabs the man's shoulders. "Why did you call him? What did you say? You have to say it or I can't believe you are who you say you are."

"Ben don't!" Rachel shouts.

He glances over at his wife then looks back at Charlie. "The power. I told him it was all gonna turn off," Ben whispers.

Charlie slaps her hand over her mouth in shock. Miles had told her about that phone call just after her eleventh birthday. There had been a big battle going on for weeks and he was worried that something bad might happen to he and Bass, so he had to give her a way to identify her parents. They never told anyone else about that phone call. Not Jeremy or Jason, not even Maggie and Nora know about it. That phone call is the best kept secret in the whole Republic. The only way this man could possibly know about it is if he made the call himself.

Her shock of having her parents standing right in front of her is surpassed by the need to keep this family secret. She lowers her voice to a whisper and looks at her parents seriously. "Listen to me. Not a single person in this house knows about that phone call. Just me, Miles, and Bass. Do not speak a word of it here. If anyone found out that you both have information on the power that would put everyone in the Republic in danger. Do you understand?"

Ben nods immediately but Rachel takes a moment to look at her curiously before agreeing.

"We have to make sure Danny doesn't say anything either," she adds as an afterthought.

"He won't say anything, he doesn't even know." Ben says.

Charlie frowns up at him. "Yeah. I guess Danny doesn't know a lot of things."

He sighs and runs a hand through his messy hair. "We never meant for it to get this far. You have to believe me."

Charlie steps away from him, distancing herself for sanities sake. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you tell him the truth now. I'll have Jer take you guys down to see him."

"Aren't you going to come with us?" Ben asks hopefully.

Shaking her head, Charlie opens the office door. "Nope. You guys made that mess, you get to clean it up. Plus, I've got work to do."

Jeremy is leaning against the door frame with a concerned look on his face. "Well?"

"It's them," Charlie says simply.

"It is? Are you sure? How do you know?"

But she ignores his questions, instead giving him an affectionate pat on the cheek. "Take them down to see Danny for me, OK? And have Jason prep a room for my parents near his."

Jeremy opens his mouth to object but seems to notice the weary look on her face and decides against it. "I'll get right on it."

She waits until he's closed the door behind her parents before collapsing into her desk chair. Her parents are alive. Danny is alive. They are in Independence Hall. Bass and Miles aren't home to see it. Pulling a piece of paper towards her, Charlie begins to write.

' _Dear Uncle Dickhead...'_

* * *

A/N Bass will be back next chapter! Yay! By the way, have I mentioned how much I hate Rachel? ;-) Thanks for reading! Leave me a review if you've got a second!


	26. Chapter 26

Bass is riding as quickly as possible back to Independence Hall. Jason's message about another couple of supposed Matheson's had reached him two days ago and he's been going nonstop ever since. Not that he doesn't have faith in Jason and Jeremy's ability to do their jobs, though. The problem is Charlie. His wife has a tendency to be too nosy for her own good and she has a knack for wheedling information out of people. He would know, she's been perfecting the tactic on him since she was six years old.

They've managed to cut what would have been a five day journey down to what will probably end up being three. But even with that extra time, he has a feeling Charlie will have gotten herself stuck in a mess before he manages to get home. He hopes for her sake that she keeps her nose out of the secret just this once, but he expects he'll have a hell of a disaster to clean up when he gets home.

XxX

"So you're my sister."

"Yup."

Danny squirms uncomfortably in his chair at the table in the kitchen. "Can we just pretend I didn't say that stuff about, you know, the way you look?"

Charlie snorts. "Already forgotten."

He blows out a relieved breath. "Good."

The two of them continue to eat their breakfast quietly, their eyes occasionally meeting before flitting away. The awkward silence is more than Charlie can bear.

"This is weird," she finally blurts out.

Danny coughs into his glass of milk and smiles. "I know, right? Yesterday I didn't even know I had a sister. Today I not only have a sister, but she's the Vice President of the Monroe Republic and is married to the President." He shakes his head in disbelief. "I can't believe they never told me."

Ben and Rachel had done as Charlie requested and told Danny everything yesterday afternoon. Since then, the two elder Matheson's have been hiding out in their assigned bedroom. Charlie isn't sure what the hell they've got going on but she's got Rolland keeping an eye on them just in case.

She smiles over at her little brother. "How do you think I feel? Yesterday I was an orphan. Now I've got parents and a brother on top of everyone else that are already considered family."

"How many people do you consider to be family?" He asks with raised eyebrows.

Charlie shrugs. "Lots of people. Jeremy, Jason, Tom, Julia, Nora, Maggie. Oh, and Maddox. He's Bass' head of security. And Marla." She pauses to take a bite of her pancakes. "Basically everyone that lives in the house really."

Danny shakes his head slowly. "That's a lot of people."

"Well most of them have been with us from the very beginning. Except for Maggie and Nora. Maggie showed up about a month after we settled in Philly, she and Jer will get married eventually, and Nora started coming around about a year later. She and Miles kind of have a thing."

"A thing?"

She shrugs again. "Sometimes they love each other and sometimes they want to shoot each other. But it works for them."

"What about you and Monroe?" He asks.

"Well first, you can't really call him Monroe because that's my name too, so call him Bass. And second, we are nothing like Miles and Nora."

"Damn right we aren't." Bass says gruffly. Charlie whips around in her chair to find her husband standing in the doorway with a smirk on his lips. She runs over and crashes into him, letting him wrap her up in a tight embrace.

"I missed you," she whispers against his neck.

Bass kisses her temple and rubs her back. "Not as much as I missed you."

Charlie pulls away from him with a grin. "I didn't expect you back so soon."

He hesitates for a moment. "Well there's something I need to check on." He peers around her curiously and looks uncomprehendingly at Danny. "Babe, what's going on?"

Charlie raises an eyebrow at him. "Like you don't already know," she scolds. "Jason and Jeremy were harboring my little brother in the north wing like a fugitive on your orders."

Bass sighs. He'd thought she might figure it all out before he got home but he hadn't really anticipated meeting his wife's brother the moment he walked through the door.

"It wasn't like that," he tells her gently.

Charlie raises a skeptical eyebrow but Bass shakes his head at her. There will be plenty of time to talk about it later.

"So you must be Danny." He rounds the table and sticks a hand out for the boy to shake. The kid eyes him nervously but nods and takes his hand.

"Yeah. And you're... my sister's husband."

"I prefer Bass." Danny laughs as Bass looks around the kitchen for Ben and Rachel. "Where are your parents?"

"Hiding in their room," Charlie answers flatly.

Bass takes his wife's hand and gives her a soft kiss. "I need to see them."

"It's them," she assures him.

Their eyes hold for a moment as understanding flows between them. "I believe you. But I still want to see them."

Charlie nods and turns to her brother. "Wanna come?"

Abandoning his breakfast, Danny practically skips over to the door to join them. "Do I want to be there when my parents are introduced to the man that married their daughter? Absolutely."

Rolling his eyes, Bass leads the way from the kitchen. "You know, technically Ben and Rachel already know me."

Danny snorts. "So a guy they knew like twenty years ago married their daughter. Even better." Bass sighs as Charlie tries and fails to contain a giggle.

Jeremy joins them as they pass down the hallway. He gives Bass a quick pat on the back and winks at Charlie. Apparently, he thinks this will be as exciting as Danny does. Jason joins their parade as well, grinning like an idiot when he wishes Bass luck. Danny snorts and mutters something under his breath which Jason seems to find particularly funny.

Shaking her head, Charlie gives Bass' sweaty hand a reassuring squeeze. He glances at her out of the corner of his eye and gives her a nervous smile.

"It'll be fine," she whispers close to his ear. His clenched jaw is the only response she gets so she leans over and kisses his cheek, letting her lips linger by his ear. "They're just a couple of strangers to me. They don't change anything."

Jeremy clears his throat loudly. "Seriously guys? I thought we talked about the PDA policy. You guys are supposed to keep it PG when I'm around." Bass huffs and shoves Jeremy's shoulder, but smiles gratefully as some of the tension leaves his shoulders.

The group arrives outside Ben and Rachel's bedroom door where Sergent Rolland is standing guard.

"Have they gone anywhere?" Charlie asks curiously.

He shakes his head. "No, ma'am. In fact, they haven't done anything. Haven't heard a peep out of them."

Bass takes a deep breath and raps his knuckles on the door. They all stand around looking at each as they wait, but no answer comes. "This is ridiculous," Charlie mutters. She throws the door open and walks inside, finding her parents sitting calmly at the coffee table in the room playing what looks like Go Fish.

Rachel glares at the people standing in the doorway but Ben smiles as his daughter enters the room. "Charlie, what are..." His voice trails off when he spots Bass following along behind her.

"Hey, Ben."

A moment passes where the two men simply stare at each other. Even after seventeen years, neither of them have really changed. Ben gets up and walks over to Bass with his arms hanging limply at his sides and his mouth slanted open.

"I-I can't believe it," he sputters out.

Bass shrugs and gives him a genuine smile. "I know. I can't believe-"

 _WHAM!_

Although small in stature, Ben can apparently pack a punch. Bass goes sprawling backwards into Jason who nearly falls over onto Danny because none of them were prepared for it. Jeremy rushes forward and grabs Ben by the collar, yanking him away from the President as Rachel shrieks in anguish. She pounces on Jeremy but is quickly ripped away by a very angry Charlie.

"Enough!" She shouts over the other's voices.

Bass, Jason, and Danny are still trying to right themselves after the surprise attack and Jeremy still has Ben by the collar, but Charlie shoves Rachel so hard that she falls back onto the couch in shock. Everyone falls silent and looks to her questioningly.

"That's enough," she says, quieter this time.

Bass runs a hand over his left cheek and groans, making Charlie look at him worriedly. She motions to Rolland, who poked his head into the room when the noise started, and tells him to find Bass an ice pack. Her husband mutters something about not needing it but she glares at him which shuts him up right away. Jeremy finally lets go of Ben's collar only to grab his wrists instead.

"Mr. Matheson, you are under arrest for assaulting the President of-"

"Whoa, whoa, Jer, hang on a sec." Bass works his jaw from side to side, gritting his teeth against the pain. "It's no big deal, let him go."

"Bass-" Jeremy starts.

"Hey, it's no worse than what Miles did to me when he found out and so there's no harm done."

Charlie goes over to him and gently trails her fingers over his reddened cheek. "Are you sure?" She murmers.

Bass grabs her hand before she can poke at the injury anymore and kisses her fingers. "I'm fine, Baby. Don't worry about it."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Rachel spits out.

Charlie whips around to look at this woman who is supposed to be her mother with blazing eyes of fury. "Well you make me sick," she spits back. "Seventeen years that I haven't seen you, didn't even know if you were alive, and now you show up acting like you're in charge? You're not my mother! You were just an incubator. I don't need you to here to judge the family I've made for myself. If you don't like it, then feel free to get the fuck out of my house."

She doesn't even stop to admire the dumbstruck look on Rachel's face before stomping from the room with Bass just behind. They barely make it two doors down before her pushes her into a spare room and yanks her against his chest. The tears running down her face soak the front of his uniform but he doesn't pay any attention to that. He presses his lips to her temple and runs his hands soothingly through her long hair.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she murmers against his neck.

Bass sighs and holds her tighter, wishing that he had the power to protect her from everything. But he can't. All he can do is hold her and whisper in her ear. "I know, Baby. I know." And hope that that's enough.


	27. Chapter 27

Bass relaxes back on the couch in the living room with a glass of scotch dangling from his hand. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, enjoying the brief silence after such a long day. He senses Charlie as she enters the room and peeks out of one eye at her.

"How's Danny?" He asks without preamble. Charlie eases down next to him and gently presses a towel full of ice to his throbbing cheek. Ignoring his hiss of protest, she holds it against his skin.

"He's fine. Maggie said that all the excitement must have set off his asthma. He's resting now."

Bass takes a good look at his wife's somber face. Her eyes are still a little red from crying and she seems to have aged ten years in just the past few hours. He pushes her towel hand away from his face and give her a soft kiss.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I know this isn't what you wanted for your family reunion."

With a heavy sigh, she sets the wet towel aside and snuggles up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I wish Miles was here," she says quietly. "He would know what to say to them. I... I can't even look at that woman without wanting to shoot her now." Charlie sits up as the anger courses through her. "She's such a bitch and Ben assaulted you! I still think we should let Jeremy charge him!"

Cupping her cheeks in his hands, Bass pulls her close so their foreheads are touching. "I am fine."

"He hit you."

"So? Miles tried to stab me when I asked him if I could ask you to marry me."

Charlie's eyes go wide with shock. "You asked for Miles' permission first?"

"Of course I did. He's basically been your father since you were five. He wasn't happy about it either, by the way. Jeremy had to pry him off me."

Charlie chuckles at the mental image that paints in her mind. "So Miles knew you were going to propose and didn't tell me. I guess he's been keeping a lot of secrets from me."

"OK, first of all, he couldn't tell you about the proposal because that would have ruined it. And second, he didn't even have time to tell you. I woke him up before dawn to ask him if I could marry you and then went straight to your room to ask you."

Charlie bites her lip hesitantly. "Has it ever occurred to you that Miles only tried to stab you because you woke him up before dawn?"

Bass' frowns thoughtfully and takes a sip of his drink, causing Charlie to burst into laughter. He grins at the glorious sound and the beautiful smile that spreads across her face. Setting his drink on the table, he wraps his arms around her waist and hauls her onto his lap where her laughter slows and she settles comfortably over him. She smiles down at him as she traces the lines of his face with her fingertips.

"I love you." She whispers.

Pressing his lips to her exposed neck, Bass kisses his way up to her ear. "Love you more."

Charlie lets out a soft moan as his hands begin to roam beneath her shirt. "Show me?" He grunts as he gets up from the couch with Charlie wrapped around him and carries her to their bed.

XxX

"But I don't wanna!"

"Seriously Charlie? I thought you were past the whining phase."

"I'm not whining."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No-"

"-Whoa, seriously guys? Do you always act like three year olds?"

Charlie and Jason both stop in their tracks, turning at the same time to look at Danny who is following them through the crowded street.

"We don't act like three year olds." They say at the same time.

Danny chuckles and mutters, "whatever."

Jason rolls his eyes at the younger man and turns to continue dragging Charlie down the street. "You knew that this was coming so I don't know why you're acting so shocked."

Sighing in defeat, Charlie pulls her arm from his grip and follows along behind him without resistance. "It's not that I'm shocked. I mean, of course we're going to have an anniversary gala, we have one every year. It's just that I don't want to help your mother plan the stupid thing."

"But you're the Vice President and the First Lady," Danny says. "Doesn't that make planning the party kind of your job?"

Jason glances back at Danny with an approving smile before grinning over at Charlie. "See? He's only been here for three weeks and he already gets it."

"Yeah," Charlie growls. "But he's only been here for three weeks. He's never actually had to go to one of these stupid things."

"I think it sounds kinda fun," Danny muses.

Charlie stops walking and turns to lay a hand on his shoulder. "It's not. Trust me."

Jason nods in agreement. "Why do you think Miles and Bass both left the city on month long trips right before the gala is supposed to take place?"

"Because they had work to do?" Danny asks uncertainly.

Snorting, Charlie grabs his hand and starts pulling him down the street again. "Not even close. The boys both got to skip town for a few weeks 'cause I lost the coin toss. Again."

Jason laughs loudly, the sound carrying over the noise on the crowded street. "You do realize that this is the fifth year in a row that you've lost the coin toss, right?"

Charlie decides not to dignify that with a response.

* * *

A/N I know it's short but I'm working on a longer chapter that will bring Miles back and have some other fun surprises in it. :-) Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 28

For the first time in over a month, the house is finally quiet. Charlie and Maggie went out dress shopping this morning in preparation for the gala. Well, it was more like Maggie dragged Charlie out to go dress shopping. Plus, Jason has Danny occupied in the banquet hall supervising the decorators, which means that Bass finally has a few hours that he can get caught up on his paper work.

He's made a sizable dent in the towering mess on his desk but he knows his time is up when the office door flings open and Miles comes stomping into the room. His brother shakes his shaggy hair out of his eyes and tosses his dusty uniform jacket onto a chair before plopping down on the couch in the office with a sigh.

"So what's the damage?" He asks, looking to Bass with worried eyes. "Your letter said that Ben and Rachel are being difficult. Define difficult."

Bass absent mindedly rubs the sore spot on his cheek where Ben had punched him two weeks ago but decides not to give Miles that particular detail. He sighs and gets up to pour Miles a drink. "It's not good Miles."

Taking the drink from his hand, Miles says, "don't beat around the bush. Just spit it out."

"They think that we brainwashed Charlie, manipulated her into marrying me, and that we've been using her as our perfect little puppet to gain the people's trust."

Miles chuckles but then frowns when Bass doesn't join in. "Wait, are you serious?"

Nodding, Bass collapses down next to him as the weeks of holding it all together start to come apart. "And I don't know what to do. Charlie officially hates Rachel, she might as well hate Ben too, and both of her parents despise me and seem to fear her." He looks over at Miles' concerned face pleadingly, begging him to somehow magically fix everything.

"Why do they hate you and what are they afraid of? Us? Why on earth would we hurt them?"

Bass bites his lip and gets up to make sure no one is listening at the door before telling Miles what he thinks is really going on. "They know that we know that Ben knows something about the power. I think that they think we want it from them."

Miles shakes his head. "That's insane."

"I know. Me and Charlie have already talked about it a thousand times-"

"-Wait, you and Charlie have talked about the power?"

Bass sends him a look. "She's my wife, Miles. We talk about a lot of things."

Miles holds up a hand to stop him and squeezes his eyes shut. "Enough said."

"Anyway," Bass continues as if there'd been no interruption. "Even if Ben knows something about the power it won't do us any good now. It's been so long that I doubt any of that old electrical stuff would even work, so trying to fix it would be time consuming and would waste resources that we can't afford to spare."

Miles nods in agreement but Bass can see that his brother is only partially paying attention because something else is on his mind.

"Charlie's alright," Bass tells him.

Miles scratches at the beard that has grown in over the weeks of traveling and frowns over at him. "I'm sure that's what she's saying, but how is she really?"

Bass sighs as he thinks about how his wife has been over the past few weeks. "Angry, irritated, depressed. But she's also been happy. I think meeting Danny has been good for her." He waits a moment before admitting, "she's missing you. I may be her husband but I can only do so much and I think what she really needs is for Uncle Miles to swoop in and fix everything."

A smile cracks his lips and Miles' travel weary face lights up at the idea that his little Bug still needs him. "I guess I should go clean up and make my appearance then."

Bass nods in agreement, smirking over at him. "Yeah, I mean I wasn't gonna say anything but you smell like a dead animal."

Rolling his eyes, Miles forces himself off the couch and out of the room, muttering _'dickhead'_ on his way out.

XxX

Miles takes his time in the bath and shaves before going off to see the barber about his ridiculously long hair. And even after all that, he has to wait another hour before Charlie and Maggie return with their dresses. His niece comes slouching into the room with a long bag slung over her shoulder and a grim expression on her face. Her eyes fall on him as she tosses the bag over the back of the couch and she squeals excitedly.

"Miles!"

She doesn't even give him the chance to stand, instead throwing herself into his arms as if she were still only five years old. He doesn't mind.

"I missed you," she says into his neck. "My parents aren't what I thought... you're so different from them..." her voice breaks and Miles wraps his arms around her protectively.

"I know Bug. Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine."

Charlie clings to him tighter and Miles can see Maggie over her shoulder. The other woman is pointing at Charlie and then at him, mouthing words to him from across the room.

' _She's sensitive. Be careful.'_

He nods to let Maggie know that he understands and watches as the other woman quietly leaves the room. Over the years, he and Maggie have basically co-parented Charlie, so when Maggie says something like that he takes it very seriously. With a gentle hand on her shoulder, Miles pushes Charlie back enough for him to see her tear filled eyes.

"Hey, tell me what's wrong." He brushes away a few of her tears as she lets out an irritated groan.

"I'm just... I can't deal with them. Rachel's a bitch and Ben's like her little play toy. And every time I talk to them it's the same thing, they think I should leave and get away from Bass, and stay away from you. It's-it's insane! They are insane! Why are they like that? Why do they think I'm in danger? And if they thought I was in danger why didn't they just come get me? Why did they wait so long to come here?"

Miles takes a moment to let her words settle in the air. Knowing Charlie, she's probably been holding that rant in for weeks. Despite how open she normally is with people, there are some things she reserves especially for him.

"I honestly don't know why they did anything or why they're doing what they are now. I haven't even seen them yet."

"Are you going to?"

"Of course, but I wanted to see you first. I was worried. Bass is worried too."

Charlie rolls her eyes. "He's always worried."

"Should he be?" Miles asks seriously.

She sighs and shakes her head. "No. I'm OK, really. I just... it's a lot to take in."

He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I know. I wish I'd have been here when it happened."

Charlie shakes her head at him. "You can't be here to fix every little thing Miles."

"But I can try."

She chuckles and scoots off his lap to sit next to him. "When are you going to talk to them?"

"I was thinking I'd at least wait until after I've had my dinner. Wouldn't want them to spoil my appetite."

"I want to go with you."

"No."

"Miles-"

"-Charlie I know that I usually let you get away with whatever you want, but not this. I don't want you to get stuck in the middle of whatever fight we're going to have."

She gives him one of her little pouty faces but he stays strong until she looks away in defeat.

"Fine," she grumbles. "But you should take somebody with you. Those two are dangerous."

"I will," he promises. Though they both know he has no intention of following through on that one.

XxX

Not long after dinner has been cleared away, Miles makes his way through the house towards where his brother and sister-in-law are staying. He'd asked why they didn't join everyone else for dinner in the kitchen but let it slide when Bass quickly changed the subject. Apparently, Charlie's dislike for her parents runs deeper than he'd originally thought. Luckily though, Danny seems to be a good kid. He and Charlie are already getting along like they've known each other forever and even Jason seems to like him, which is strange because Jason is usually pretty protective of his brother-sister relationship with Charlie.

He tells Sergent Rolland to take a quick break and waits for him to disappear around the corner before preparing to open the door. As his hand grasps the doorknob, a familiar voices floats down the hall towards him.

"Hey, wait for me."

He looks up to meet Nora's caramel colored eyes and feels his heartbeat starting to race just at the sight of her sashaying towards him. A smile spreads across his face before he can stop it.

"What are you doing here?" The question sounds a little too excited for his liking so he adds, "I mean, I didn't even know you were in town."

She stops just a few feet away from him with a guarded look on her face. "I've been in town for a while," she says quietly. "I just... wasn't sure I wanted to see you yet."

It stings, but the reality of their sorry excuse for a relationship is hard to ignore. He nods understandingly and motions to the door with his brother behind it. "Listen, I'd love to catch up but-"

Nora cuts him off with a hand in the air and looks determinedly at the buttons on his jacket. "I'm not here to talk about us."

"Then why are you here?" He asks, trying not to sound hurt.

She huffs and rolls her eyes like she thinks the answer should be obvious. "Because Charlie asked me to come with you. She wants me to make sure you keep a level head."

Miles scoffs. "I'm not gonna do anything to them."

Nora raises her eyebrows knowingly. "You say that now, but I know how you get when you're angry and so does Charlie."

"I don't need a babysitter," he growls at her.

"Say whatever you want but I promised Charlie I would go in with you, and you and I both know what happens when you break a promise to her."

Scowling, Miles nods in agreement. "Fine. But if you're gonna go in there, there's something you should know first. But you can't tell anyone else. Only me, Bass, and Charlie-"

"Know about the power?" Nora finishes for him.

"How do you...?"

"Charlie told me," she answers simply. "She said I'd probably need to know if I was going to go in there with you."

He nods, his eyes drawn to the curve of her full lips before he tears them away again. Nora pretends not to notice the tension and takes a deep breath, grabbing the handle and pushing the bedroom door open.

It's a strange sensation, seeing Ben again after all these years but seeing Rachel causes a whole other whirlwind of emotions, most of which aren't pleasant. Her pale blue eyes are glaring daggers at him and he hasn't even said hello yet. Ben jumps up from his seat at the coffee table with a surprised sort of smile on his face.

"You look... presentable," he says with a chuckle. "Don't think I've ever seen you look so clean."

Miles shrugs, deciding to play along with this little conversation. "Yeah, well, Charlie thinks people won't take me seriously unless I've had a bath so I just do as I'm told."

Ben huffs a laugh, though his eyes grow sad at the mention of his daughter. "She seems... happy," he says hesitantly.

"I've worked my ass off making sure of it," Miles tells him seriously.

Rachel decides that that's her cue to jump in and laughs at his words. "She's not happy," she spits in her husband's direction. "She's a pet, a prisoner. She has no idea what happy even is."

Out of the corner of his eye, Miles can see Nora's eyebrows shoot up high on her forehead. "Actually," Nora says firmly, demanding Rachel's attention. "Charlie's one of the happiest people I know. She has an uncle who loves her more than anything and a husband that adores her. If she were my daughter I would be happy for her."

Rachel looks over at the other woman coolly, her lips quirked in a tiny smile. "I suppose it's a good thing she isn't your daughter then. Who knows how bad you would make things for her."

Miles reaches out and grabs Nora's shoulder before she can pounce all over her and sends Rachel a warning look. "I don't know what your problem is Rachel, but you've got to chill out. Pissing off all of Charlie's friends is not gonna help you here."

"You don't own me, Miles. You can't tell me what to do!" She shouts at him.

"What?" Confusion courses through him and he looks to Ben with the hopes that he'll be able to explain some of what's going on in Rachel's head, but Ben merely shrugs his shoulders apologetically. A pillow launches up from the couch and Miles bats it away easily, scowling down at Rachel as she glares up at him.

"Hey, you want to be this way that's fine with me, but don't come crying to me when Charlie doesn't want anything to do with you."

He keeps a firm grip on Nora's arm and pulls her out of the room as his own anger starts to bubble. Almost twenty years and all he gets is a pillow in the face. He slams the door behind them only to have it open again moments later as Ben comes scrambling out of the room.

"Miles please," he says desperately. "I don't know why Rachel is so angry, but all I really care about is Charlie. I just want a chance to know my daughter."

Nora gently extracts herself from Miles' grip and pats Ben on the shoulder. "Then you need to stop siding with your wife and tell Charlie the truth. All this time you could have been here and yet you chose not to be. You better have a damn good reason for it or she will never forgive you."

Ben looks up and down the hallway suspiciously before looking up at Miles with worried eyes. "I was worried... I thought that maybe you and Bass-"

Miles bends down so his face is mere inches from his borther's, his anger suddenly flaring beyond control. "If you're about to tell me that you were afraid of some stupid phone call you made twenty years ago, then save it. 'Cause I don't give a shit. And neither does Bass or Charlie. All that girl has ever wanted was for her family to be reunited and all we've ever done is try to give her that."

The guilty look on Ben's face confirms exactly what Bass suspected. For some reason, Ben and Rachel were under the impression that they wanted information about the power from them.

"Nobody even cares about electricity anymore," Miles growls at his brother. He doesn't wait to hear what Ben has to say, though he does stop around the corner and wait for Nora to join him. It's been several months since the last time they saw each other and Miles whole heartedly believes that she's gotten even more beautiful since she screamed in his face, whacked him with a frying pan, and left town. Another smile finds its way to his lips as he thinks about their parting, making Nora frown.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because you keep smiling."

"Since when is smiling a bad thing?"

Nora tilts her head back so she can get a good look at his face, her eyes focused on his. "It's not. I guess I'm just not used to seeing them," she says softly.

Miles flounders for a moment. This is unusual for them. Normally they just argue until one of them gives in and then they spend the night together. Talking isn't really their strong suit.

"Maybe I'm just happy to see you," he says jokingly, though he doesn't mean it as a joke at all.

Shock flickers across Nora's face before she neatly covers it up with a smug smile. "I tend to have that affect on people."

Dropping all pretense of the joke, Miles brushes her hair back from her face and drops a soft kiss on her lips. "Especially me," he admits. She looks up at him with wide, questioning eyes and he grins back at her. "But don't let it go to your head."

She shoves him back against the wall playfully. "You are so..." She growls angrily, unsure of even what to call him.

"Yeah, I know." Miles finishes for her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her to him so he can kiss that angry scowl right off her lips.

XxX

To say that everyone is shocked when Ben joins them at the breakfast table the next morning would be an understatement. Maggie even gives up her seat next to Danny so the father and son can sit next to each other, leaving her no other choice but to drop into the chair next to Jeremy with flaming red cheeks.

Charlie is cool towards Ben, but not unwelcoming. They chat idly about what her job as the Vice President entails and the upcoming gala. Ben seems to think that the gala is a bit of an unnecessary expense, which warms Charlie up to him faster than any father-daughter bonding could hope to do. They spend the rest of breakfast attempting to convince Julia that this should be the gala's last year but only get scoldings about propriety in return.

Miles catches Bass' eyes from across the table and raises his eyebrows in question. _'Better?'_

Bass nods as he sips his morning coffee and Miles thinks, _'maybe Uncle Miles can fix everything.'_


	29. Chapter 29

With only a week to go before the gala, Independence Hall becomes become a flurry of beautiful decorations, delicious food, and stressed out Mathesons. Like his usual self, Bass is managing to keep calm, if for no other reason than to keep Miles and Charlie from having nervous breakdowns.

Miles hates anything formal and has been dropping hints all week that he isn't feeling well, no doubt hoping that he can be 'sick' the night of the gala. Charlie on the other hand is a little more complicated. While she's well versed in the ways of the social elites, she hates having to actually spend time with them. Dresses annoy her because she can't move in them, high heels hurt her feet, and small talk bores her to death. If it weren't for the fact that this is the first year she'll be attending as the official First Lady, Bass would excuse her from the gala just to save himself from a headache.

To help her deal with her own misery, Charlie decides to teach Danny how to ballroom dance. Unlike his sister, Danny seems excited about it. He bounced around excitedly all throughout breakfast because he couldn't wait to get started.

Two hours later and after getting her toes stomped on for the one hundredth time, Charlie decides it's time for a break. She and Danny prop open the second floor window and breathe in the cool, fresh air as they sip from water glasses that Jason had so kindly dropped off for them. Charlie studies her younger brother over the rim of her glass as he gazes out over the front lawn. His cheeks are a little flushed from the activity and his eyes are sparkling with happiness. She notes the strong line of his jaw, just like their uncle's, and wonders how their parents could have ever kept them apart.

"What is it?" Danny asks when he catches her staring.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about us. Can you imagine what we would be like if we'd grown up together?"

Danny nods, his eyes full of understanding. "I know. I feel like my mom - I mean, our mom - and dad totally ruined it for us. We could have played the best games of hide-and-seek in this place."

"Oh yeah. Me and Jason used to get in so much trouble when we were little. Bass and Miles would be in the middle of some important meeting only to have Jason jump out of a closet or have me pop out of an air vent." She chuckles at the memory of the look on Miles' face when she'd fallen onto the couch in his office after a six foot drop from the old air vent above it, causing him to spill hot coffee all over himself and nearly give a dozing Bass a heart attack.

Danny gives her a sad smile. "See? All that trouble we could have caused was ruined because they're... stupid."

The truth in his words goes deeper than just the missed out shenanigans they could have gotten into together. They missed out on each other's lives because of what their parents did. No growing up together or fond memories. All they have is what they've built in the past few months, which seems insufficient compared to the almost twenty years they should have.

Charlie sighs heavily, wrapping an arm around her brother's shoulder as they look out across the green front lawn and it's dozen or so soldiers doing their rounds. She spots Maggie's curly blonde head as she ascends the walkway to the front doors and is struck with an idea.

"We may not have been able to cause trouble together when we were kids, but I do know of some trouble we could cause now."

Danny's eyes narrow in confusion and he looks out the window for the source of this so called trouble. He spots Maggie and frowns. "I don't want to do anything to Maggie. She's my doctor, and pretty much the only reason I can even think of trying to dance."

Charlie grins mischievously and pulls him to the door, already planning out their mission in her head. "Don't think of it as doing something _to_ her, think of it as doing something _for_ her.

XxX

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Danny asks as he shifts nervously from foot to foot in the freshly made up living room.

Charlie rolls her eyes as she rearranges the flowers on the table for the tenth time. "No it's not a good idea, it's a great idea."

Jason sighs from his spot at the door where he's been instructed to keep an eye out for their targets. "Actually, I think this is a horrible idea."

Charlie glares over at him. "Well I didn't hear you offering up any better ideas."

"Yeah I did. I said we should leave them alone."

Danny nods in Jason's direction. "Maybe he's right. I don't think Maggie's gonna like this."

Charlie ignores them both as she lights the candles on the dinner table and looks over her work with a satisfied smile. They managed to transform the living room into the perfect private dinner space in a matter of hours and she can't wait for their dinner guests to arrive. She turns around to find both Jason and Danny silently pleading with her not to go through with her plan but again she ignores them.

"Don't look so worried," she scolds them. "Jeremy and Maggie are going to love this."

The boys share a doubtful look before Jason makes one last attempt to change her mind. "Don't you remember Jeremy telling us to stay out of his business? He's not going to like it if we try to push him and Maggie together."

Charlie shakes her head. "He may not like it at first, but trust me, he'll thank us later." With one last look around the room, she decides that the ambiance is just right and motions for them all to leave the room.

"Remember what you're supposed to do?" She asks them as she closes the door behind her. Jason and Danny both nod reluctantly, causing Charlie to grin like a maniac. "Then let's get to it."

Charlie heads off to find Maggie and Jason goes to find Jeremy while Danny hides out in the room directly across the hall from the living room. His job is to secure the door once Jeremy and Maggie are both inside. He waits impatiently, his heart pounding and a sense of dread in his stomach. When he'd told Charlie that he wanted to spend time together, this wasn't really what he'd had in mind.

Jeremy arrives first, strolling along nonchalantly into the living room appearing mildly curious about something. Danny hears him call out as he crosses the threshold. "Bass? What's up? Jason said you needed me..." His voice trails off and though Danny can't see his face, he can imagine the confused look that must be on it.

"What the hell is all this?" He mutters just as Maggie comes scurrying down the hallway with her medical bag flapping along over her shoulder. She skids into the living room breathing heavily.

"Wha-Where's Danny?" She huffs at Jeremy.

"Why, what's wrong with him?"

"Charlie said he was having another asthma attack," Maggie says, her voice turning from worried to confused.

Danny shoves down the pit of guilt in his stomach and does as Charlie had planned, running out from his hiding spot and slamming the living room door shut before locking it from the outside. It takes several seconds, but Jeremy's voice is unmistakably angry when he beats his fist against the door.

"Hey! Open this door immediately!" He bangs on the door a few more times before Charlie comes skidding down the hall with a grin on her face.

Danny motions to the door and says, "see? I told you they wouldn't like it."

Charlie waves him off and speaks to the closed door. "Relax Jer, you're gonna break the door."

The beating stops and they can hear Jeremy and Maggie's hushed voices before Maggie calls through the wood. "Charlie what's going on?"

The irritated tone of her voice does nothing to curb Charlie's apparent glee at their success. "I just figured that it was time for you and Jeremy to spend some quality time together," she explains innocently.

Something thuds against the door again and Jeremy barks, "Dammit Charlie! Open the door!"

But his anger only makes Charlie giggle. "No way. I am sick of you two making lovey dovey eyes at each other all the time." She grabs Danny's hand and pulls him away from the door, shouting over her shoulder. "Enjoy your dinner!"

The sounds of Jeremy's continued efforts on the door are joined by Maggie's impressively colorful vocabulary. Her insults follow them around the corner to where Jason is apparently hiding from the main scene of destruction.

"They're going to kill you when they get out of there," he says simply.

Charlie shrugs. "Nah. They'll thank me in the morning."

"Morning? I thought we were going to let them out after dinner?"

She wrinkles her nose a little bit. "We were, but did you hear what Maggie was calling me? She could use a good time out."

The boys share matching looks of dread as Charlie heads off to get some real work done before dinner. "I have a feeling they won't be thanking her," Danny says.

Jason nods in agreement. "Probably not."

XxX

When Bass goes to grab a book he'd left in the living room the next morning, he's in for quite the surprise. Finding Jeremy and Maggie completely naked and fast asleep on the living room couch isn't at all how he'd planned to start the day.

"Oh come on! I love that couch!"

Maggie wakes with a start, her eyes searching around wildly for the source of the noise until they land on Bass' face. She shrieks and grabs for the nearest thing to cover herself up with, which just happens to be Jeremy's uniform jacket. As she climbs to her feet, Bass gets an eyeful of more Jeremy than he ever wanted to see.

"Oh, dude. Seriously?"

Jeremy blinks up at him sleepily, his brain clearly not as quick as Maggie's. "Hey Bass. What are you doin' in my room..." His voice trails off as he takes in the living room around him, his eyes becoming fully alert when he sees Maggie rushing around the room in search of her clothes covered by nothing but his own jacket. "Fuck," he groans.

Bass chuckles as he picks up a simple white bra from beneath the coffee table. "Looking for this?" He asks, holding the garment out in Maggie's direction. She swipes it out of his hand and glares at him.

"Not a single word about this to anyone. Got it?"

"Who would I even tell?" Bass says innocently. She narrows her eyes at him suspiciously but stops in favor of finding herself a corner to redress in. As Jeremy yanks his pants up over his hips, Charlie comes sauntering into the room oozing smugness.

"What happened here?" She says gleefully.

Maggie pulls her shirt quickly over her head and stomps over to the younger woman. "How dare you lock us in here! I can not believe you."

Charlie's grin widens. "Soooo," she says in a sing-song voice. "How'd it go?"

The only response she recieves are glares from both Jeremy and Maggie, which only causes her to laugh. "You know, you could just say thank you."

Maggie snatches her medical bag off of the floor by the door with a huff and leaves without so much as a glance at any of them. Jeremy pulls on his uniform jacket that Maggie had discarded and sends Charlie an angry scowl that gets completely undermined by the wink he gives her right after.

Alone in the messy living room with his wife, Bass turns to her with curious eyes. "Do you think we should buy a new couch?"

Charlie shakes her head. "Nah. I'm sure we've done way worse on it."

Bass nods in agreement as he offers her his arm. "Have breakfast with me?"

She wraps her arm under his with a smile and kisses his cheek. "I'd love too."


	30. Chapter 30

Charlie puts the finishing touches on the sophisticated bun in her hair and moves to the closet to pull on her long, black dress. From the front, it appears to be any ordinary boring dress but the back scoops down low, showing off much more skin than Miles or Julia will approve of. She grins at her reflection in the mirror as she slips on her ridiculous high heels and makes her way down to the small room attached to the banquet hall.

As per tradition, Miles will be introduced to the party guests first. After that the Vice President is supposed to be introduced and then the President, but Bass has insisted that since they are now married that they will share the spotlight.

She opens to door to find Miles, Bass, Jason, and Danny already heavily into the booze. Miles is leaning back against a table with a drink in his hand with Bass by his side while Jason and Danny giggle over by the window. The boys all turn as she enters the room and smile, nodding approvingly.

"You look good Bug," Miles says quietly as she approaches, even going so far as to kiss her cheek.

"And you've had too much to drink already," she scolds him. He pouts but doesn't bother denying it. They both know he gets sentimental when he's drunk.

She moves sideways, keeping her back from Miles' view and steps into her husband's embrace. Bass wraps an arm around her waist, his eyes going wide when his fingers brush against bare skin. Charlie shakes her head just a fraction of an inch, telling him not to say anything just yet. He hums in response, kissing the corner of her mouth as his fingers dip below the fabric barely covering her butt.

"You look beautiful," he murmers. Charlie merely chuckles in response.

Julia pops into the room, letting the noise from the party in as she closes the door behind her. Charlie quickly turns so her back is pressed against Bass' front, hiding her sure to be disapproved dress from her view. Julia's eyes take quick stock of the room and she narrows her eyes at Jason and Danny giggling and drinking at the window.

"You two aren't even supposed to be in here," she grouches, snatching away their glasses and shooing them into the banquet hall. The boys whine and groan, but grin as they pass Charlie on their way out, winking as they go.

Once they're gone, Julia turns to look at Miles. "Couldn't you have waited until after your entrance to get drunk?"

"Oh come on, Jules. This is the tenth time we've had this stupid party. At this point, if I don't show up drunk people might get worried."

Julia smiles in spite of herself and ushers him to stand by the door, instructing them to wait for their names to be called. She snatches the drinking glass out of his hand right before she dissappears into the banquet hall again.

Miles rolls his eyes. "Here we go again."

They hear the noise in the hall die down and Jeremy's booming voice sounds throughout the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big warm welcome to our country's biggest savior; General Miles Matheson."

Miles grunts something, most likely and insult meant for Jeremy, but plasters on his best fake smile as the door opens and he stomps into the hall to the deafening applause.

Bass grips Charlie's hands and gives her a knowing smile, talking over their introduction. "You didn't want Miles to see the back of the dress, did you?"

As the door to the banquet hall opens and they're rushed into the crowd, Charlie yells in his ear. "I didn't want him to make me go change."

Bass barks a laugh, which is probably interpreted as a good thing by the people crowded around them. It's so loud that Charlie can barely hear and for a while she lets Bass guide her around with a hand on her lower back. They make the appropriate small talk with all the right people - Julia lingering approvingly in the background - before it's finally time for dinner to be served.

Since Charlie got to help plan the party this year, she at least gets to sit with people she actually likes. The Presidential table is set up on a platform at the front of the hall where she, Bass, Miles, Jeremy, Maggie, Danny, and Ben are all seated. She looks curiously at the empty seat next to Ben who catches her eye and shrugs.

"Your mom wasn't feeling in the party mood. I'm sorry." It isn't like she had high hopes for Rachel's attendance anyway so she gives Ben a big smile and moves on.

When it seems like everyone has finished eating and people are stating to get antsy, Jeremy stands up and takes his place center stage.

"This anniversary gala is a tradition that was started ten years ago and one that we hope will continue on for a long time to come. Now I don't know if any of you remember this, but ten years ago on this very night, our President chose the General's niece to have the first dance with. At the time we all thought it was just a cute joke, but now..."

Jeremy turns and gestures to Bass and Charlie sitting snugly together at the table while Miles gives an exaggerated roll of his eyes, causing the audience to chuckle.

"In her first year as our First Lady, Vice President Charlie Monroe has made a difference in every way you can possibly think of. We are lucky to have her, and President Monroe is just plain lucky."

Bass glares at Jeremy, which he completely ignores.

"So let's have them down here, our President and our beautiful First Lady!"

As Charlie dismounts the stage she hears Miles gasp and say, "What the hell happened to the rest of her dress?" She can't hear Maggie's whispered response but she's sure it must be entertaining.

After years of practice, she and Bass instantly fall in step with each other as the music begins. Despite how much he claims to hate it, Bass is actually a really good dancer. They aren't even two steps into the dance when he says, "not that I'm complaining or anything, but this isn't exactly your usual kind of dress."

Charlie bites her lip hesitantly. "Yeah, well... I figured I should wear it while I still can."

Bass' eyebrows furrow together in confusion. "What do you mean, while you can? No one can stop you from wearing what you want, Babe."

"Well... Maybe you or Miles can't stop me, but the baby growing in my stomach might have something else to say about it."

A moment passes where Bass' face is scrunched up in confusion, then he stops moving altogether and lets his hands drop to his sides, his mouth hanging open in shock. Charlie tries to ignore the party guests staring at them and focuses on her husband even as the band stops playing the simple waltz they'd been dancing to.

"Are you... You're... Are you sure?"

Charlie can't help but smile shyly up at him. "Yeah. I mean I haven't talked to Maggie or anything yet, but yeah."

His mouth is still hanging open and despite the fact that they had discussed having a baby, Charlie can't help but wonder if he's regretting that now. She opens her mouth to say something, anything, because she's starting to feel awkward with everyone staring at them and Bass is still just standing there like an idiot, but before she can even get a word out he silences her with his lips. It's a brief, hard kiss but when he pulls away from her his face is split into a huge, genuine smile. He looks at the people sitting around them, still staring, and yells.

"I'm gonna be a dad!"

And just like Bass, it takes a moment for the news to sink in but before they know it the crowd is screaming and shouting their congratulations, surrounding them with hugs and well wishes. Amidst the chaos, Miles somehow manages to find her. He pulls her into a bone crushing hug, his dark eyes usually wet.

"I can't believe you're gonna be a mom," he says into her hair.

"I can't believe you're gonna be a grandpa," she tells him.

Miles laughs and shakes his head but when she looks into his eyes she can see the confusion there, the little bit of hope. Her heart aches at the thought that Miles would even question his standing with her after so many years.

"They aren't my parents," she tells him firmly. "You are. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

There's a second where she thinks that Miles might actually cry, but it gets drowned out by the arrival of a very drunk Jason with his arm draped around Danny and who are both for some reason singing 'Happy Birthday.' The well wishers are eventually shooed away by a very serious looking Doctor Foster, who insists that she needs to check in with her patient. Maggie drags Charlie out of the banquet hall, Bass not far behind, and into a spare room.

"It's alright Bass, you can go back to the party." Maggie tells him.

He shakes his head resolutely, patting Charlie's abdomen with a gentle hand. "No way. I'm not going anywhere." Charlie looks over at Maggie who is digging around for something in her trusty medical bag.

"You know Maggie, an exam can wait until morning."

"No it can't," Bass says quickly.

Maggie smiles knowingly. "I'll be quick, but I'm afraid you might need to duck out of your own party a little early. You and baby need lots of rest."

"Forget the party. We'll go straight upstairs and go to bed when we're done here," Bass says.

Charlie rolls her eyes. "Bass, I'm pregnant not sick."

He gathers her hands in his, his eyes glued to the wedding ring on her finger. "I know that. But we still have to be careful."

Her resolve crumbles under his sad eyes and she gives in. "Alright. Just give me ten minutes to say goodnight to our guests and then I'll call it a night."

Bass nods, kissing her gently on the lips. "Deal."

After Maggie has cleared her and declared her officially pregnant, she and Bass say quick goodbyes to everyone and head upstairs for the night. Charlie kicks off her shoes before they even make it into the room and leaves them on the floor for Bass to grab as he follows. She stands in front of the mirror admiring the slender curves of her body for what she knows will be one of the last times while Bass puts her shoes away. Then his arms snake around her from behind, his lips pressed against her bare shoulder.

"You are gorgeous," he whispers against her skin. "And I love this dress."

Charlie smiles at his reflection in the mirror. "Me too. Maybe I can wear it again someday."

Bass spins her around in his arms, his eyes filled with understanding. "It doesn't matter what dress you're in Charlie. You'll be beautiful no matter what." He suddenly grins mischievously. "In fact, I think you're even more beautiful without any dress at all." Charlie laughs as he eases the dress off her shoulders, letting it pool around her feet while he presses wet kisses to her neck.

"I thought Maggie said I'm supposed to be resting." She says, even as she arches into his touch. Bass grunts something unintelligible, which she interprets as 'later,' and pushes her down onto their bed.


	31. Chapter 31

As she finishes up a letter full of suggestions for the Board of Education, Charlie rubs tiredly at her eyes. Maggie had warned that fatigue can occur during the first trimester and she certainly hadn't been kidding. So far this week, she's had to take a nap before lunch everyday and even took one after lunch on Tuesday. She grabs another carrot from the bowl on her desk to munch on with the hopes that it might give her some energy. There are a few more things she would like to get done before succumbing to that afternoon nap.

There is already a plan to help her deal with the added stress of the pregnancy, she just hasn't had the time to put it into action yet. What she plans to do this afternoon will definitely cause an uproar in the house, but frankly, the baby has to come first. No matter what.

XxX

Nora is waiting patiently at the little cafe a block away from Independence Hall when Charlie finally arrives for lunch.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. I fell asleep." Charlie tells her apologetically.

Nora waves it off with a smile. "Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. I'm just tired all the time."

Nora frowns slightly and gives her a worried look. "That's normal, though. Right?"

Charlie laughs and nods her head. "You sound just like Miles. He caught me napping in my office yesterday and asked if he needed to send for Maggie."

Nora smiles good naturedly, but stays silent at the mention of her uncle. They order their food and sit quietly for a moment. Charlie is used to this reaction from her where Miles is concerned, it's been going on for years, and plows on to why she really asked Nora to lunch without further chitchat.

"I need a favor," she says quickly.

At that, Nora raises her eyebrows in surprise but urges her on with a nod. "Sure. Whatever you need."

Charlie licks her lips hesitantly, knowing full well that her friend is not going to like this particular favor. "I need you to take my place as Vice President."

A moment passes in complete silence as someone brings them their drinks. Nora ignores the water glass placed in front of her and stares at Charlie with wide eyes.

"Are you insane?" She finally asks.

Charlie considers this. Perhaps asking her uncle's not-girlfriend to take her place is risky, but Nora is by far the best option available.

"Possibly," Charlie admits. "But I think the pros outweigh the cons in this situation."

Scowling at her diplomatic approach to the subject, Nora waves her hand around in front of her face. "Go on then, tell me all about how you've already got it all planned out."

"Well for one thing, the Vice President has to be someone that Bass and Miles will take seriously and that they will listen too. And since the boys both respect you on a professional level, you wouldn't have a problem with that."

Nora snorts. "Bass and Miles don't listen to anyone except for you."

Charlie hesitates, knowing that that's actually true. "Yeah, but they respect you enough to at least hear you out and that's more than I can say for most people."

Nora frowns at her from across the table as someone drops plates of food in front of them. She picks up her fork and plays with the food on her plate, avoiding Charlie's eyes.

"Listen," Charlie says gently. "I know this isn't ideal, but with the baby coming I can't be the Vice President. The Republic needs someone who can afford to give it their undivided attention and I'm just not that person anymore. But I can't walk away from the office without knowing that someone I trust is sitting in that chair."

Nora sighs and Charlie can see her resolve breaking.

"Why don't you just ask Maggie?" She asks in whiny voice.

"Because Maggie doesn't know anything about the military aspects of the job and if the boys need help with something they're going to need someone that knows what they're talking about. Which means you."

Nora shovels a fork full of food into her mouth and chews on it aggressively, as if she thinks that might help the situation. After a few minutes of her silent brooding, she bursts out, "I hope this isn't some stupid plan to get me and Miles back together or something."

Charlie huffs a laugh but frowns. "Wait, I thought you guys were already back together."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well..." Charlie stops, suddenly unsure, making Nora raise her eyebrows questioningly.

"I woke up the other night and went down to the kitchen for a snack. On my way past Miles' room I thought I heard - well I thought it was you - talking."

Nora's shoulders slump a little bit, her lips tilting into a tiny frown before she pulls herself together. "Well it wasn't me," she says flatly.

Charlie can see the hurt in Nora's eyes and wants desperately to make it go away. "I'm sure I just heard wrong. Maybe I just imagined it."

"It's alright, Charlie. Miles can see whoever he wants. We aren't together. He's a free man."

The pain in her voice breaks Charlie's heart, but before she can try to soothe her friend, she gets up from the table.

"I forgot there's something I need to do today," she says vaguely.

"Nora, wait-"

"-I'll do it." She cuts her off before she can say anything else. "I'll be the Vice President, but I really have to go. I'll see you later." She kisses Charlie's cheek and leaves the cafe with her back straight and her head held high.

Charlie eats the remainder of her lunch in silence, her heart aching on Nora's behalf as her brain slowly processes the fact that Miles not only broke her best friend's heart, but that he also apparently has a new girlfriend and hasn't said a word about it.

As she walks back to Independence Hall, her anger over the entire situation grows so that by the time she barges into Miles' office, her temper is at a tipping point. The General's office door slams shut and he hastily pulls the reading glasses perched on his nose off of his face as he looks up at his intruder.

"Oh, it's just you," he says distractedly as he shoves his glasses back on and turns his attention back to the papers on his desk. "What's up, Bug?" He asks, not bothering to look her way.

The anger swells in her chest but Charlie stomps it back down, determined not to shout loud enough for all of Philly to hear. She decides that remaining silent might be her best option. Maybe Miles will come clean on his own if she gives him the chance.

After another moment of silence Miles looks up at her over the top of his glasses, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "I know that look," he says grimly. "What did Bass do this time?"

Charlie knows that if she speaks it will just end with her yelling, so she stays silent and shakes her head, causing Miles to frown.

"Uh oh. What did I do, then?"

She blows an angry breath through her nose and puts her hands on her hips. "I spoke to Nora this morning."

The look on Miles' face is completely clueless. "OK. Usually that makes you happy. But you're mad. Care to share why?"

His obvious confusion makes it difficult to stay mad so she plops down on the couch against the far wall and gives her uncle a tired look. "The other night I went down to the kitchen to grab a snack and on the way past your room I heard you talking to a woman." Charlie notices the way Miles' jaw clenches but decides to wait until she's done explaining to find out why.

"At the time, I just figured it was Nora and went about my business. But at lunch today she told me that it wasn't her. So now I have two problems: Nora is upset because you have a new girlfriend _and_ you didn't tell me that you have a new girlfriend."

Miles takes a moment to remove his glasses, taking great care to set them aside before rising from his desk to slowly pace the room in front of her. After a few minutes of this, he looks down at her seriously.

"First off, I want you to know that I do not have a new girlfriend." When Charlie opens her mouth to object, he holds up a hand to silence her. "And second, Nora made it very clear that she was done with me so she doesn't get to be mad about me seeing other women."

"So you are seeing someone, she just isn't your girlfriend. Yet." Charlie clarifies.

Miles shakes his head. "Your mom came to see me-"

"-You and my mom? Miles!" Charlie closes her eyes in horror. "Ew!"

He rolls his eyes at her, shaking his head. "Will you listen for five seconds?"

Charlie pouts a little but nods her assent.

"Rachel wanted to talk to me. Talk. That's it."

"Oh." Charlie lets out a relieved sigh. "In the middle of the night? What did she want?" She can see the hesitation on Miles' face, his reluctance to share yet another secret. "I'm tired of all these secrets, Miles. Just tell me. I promise not to freak out."

"OK." He sits down next to her on the couch and takes her hands in his, staring determinedly at their fingers. "I guess when Rachel heard about the baby she was... upset. She came to me and asked me to send you someplace far away where Bass wouldn't be able to find you."

"She did what?" Charlie stares at her uncle with wide eyes. "And she thought what? That you would just do as she said? That you would pack me up and send me away from my family?" She pushes up from the couch quickly, the anger coursing through her too much to be contained sitting down. "I can't believe her! What the hell makes her think that you would ever do what she said?"

Turning to see Miles' face, she catches a glimpse of something like guilt in his eyes.

"You didn't actually consider doing it, did you?" She asks.

"No, of course not." He assures her, though the guilt is still showing on his face.

"Then why do you look so guilty?"

Miles sighs heavily, his head dropping into his hands. Charlie can count on one hand the number of times she's seen her uncle look so defeated. She drops back onto the couch next to him and gently rubs his back. "It's alright, Miles. You can tell me anything. You know that."

His head rises slowly and he smiles over at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. "I know. It's just... it's not exactly fond memories."

Charlie says silent, giving him room to gather his thoughts and letting him explain it in his own time.

"A long time ago, before you were born and before your parents got married, Rachel and I... we kind of had a thing."

"A thing? You mean, you and my mom were..."

"Yeah. I mean, sort of. I don't know." A few seconds pass and he adds, "at least I thought we were."

"What happened?"

He gives her a sad smile. "Me and Bass got shipped out and when we got home Rachel and Ben were already married. She wouldn't even look at me, nonetheless speak to me."

"Why, what happened between you two?"

"That's just it, I have no idea. When I left I thought she'd be waiting for me when I got back and then she just wasn't."

"And Ben, your brother, just married your girlfriend without even telling you?"

Miles shrugs. "We were never very close and I honestly don't know if he even knew that Rachel and I had been together."

Charlie looks up into Miles' brown eyes and can see the hidden pain in them. She wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him close. "You loved her, didn't you."

A moment passes before he nods. "Yeah. She was my first."

"And she broke your heart," Charlie finishes for him, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "So when she asked you to send me away..."

"Rachel told me that if I ever really loved her then I would protect you from him, even if it meant sending you away."

"And what did you say?"

"I told her she was crazy and that I never loved her."

Charlie gives him a weak smile. "Bet she didn't like that."

He shakes his head, a smile forming on his face. "No. She slapped me and called me a bastard, then ran off to her room."

"She slapped you?" Charlie asks incredulously.

Miles shrugs. "Nora hit me with a frying pan the last time she left and you're worried about a slap?"

"Well... I like Nora."

He laughs and kisses her temple. "Yeah, me too."

"Then you should her. Tell her everything."

Miles sighs and gets up from the couch, moving back towards his desk as a way of saying that the conversation is over.

"I'm serious," Charlie persists. "If you and Nora are going to work together then you can't have personal feelings getting in the way."

"OK first of all, you and Bass are married. It doesn't get any more personal than that. And second, me and Nora don't even work together."

Charlie bites her lip hesitantly. "Well not yet, but you will."

"What are you talking about?"

"When the baby comes I'm not going to be able to preform my duties as the Vice President, so Nora has agreed to take my place."

Miles' mouth drops open in shock but he shuts it after a few seconds, then he nods as if he understands. "She's a good choice."

"I know. That's why I picked her. And that's why you two should talk. You guys can't work together if you can't even stand to be in the same room for more than five minutes."

Miles nods in agreement. "Fine. If I say that I'll talk to her will you go away?"

Charlie grins, nodding her head up and down.

"Great then get out of here. Some of us have work to do you know."

Charlie runs over to drop a kiss on his cheek before leaving the room, calling over her shoulder. "Love you!" She hears his grumbled, _'love you too'_ as she shuts his office door behind her.

Out in the hallway, her mind races around the new information in her head, focusing on the one thing that Miles was probably hoping that she would forget. Rachel broke her uncle's heart like it was nothing and then tried to use that against him to get what she wanted.

"Oh, hell no." She grumbles to no one in particular. "That bitch has got to go."


	32. Chapter 32

The anger flooding through her chest burns white hot as she storms through the house towards Rachel and Ben's room.

 _How dare she treat Miles that way! And as a guest in our house!_

Sergent Rolland hurriedly steps aside as she stomps towards him, her eyes blazing with fury. Charlie vaguely registers him taking off down the hallway but thinks nothing of it as she advances on her mother, who is currently looking up from her book with mild curiosity.

"Sweetheart, how are you?" She asks calmly.

There's a moment where she considers sitting down and talking about the situation like rational human beings, but then Charlie remembers the hurt in Miles' eyes and that idea gets thrown out the window.

"You! You are impossible! And stupid, and arrogant, and manipulative, and... I don't even know. You're just crazy!"

Rachel's eyebrows raise slightly, her face remaining perfectly calm. "It's normal to experience mood swings-"

"This is not a mood swing," Charlie growls. "This is me telling you to back the fuck off. This is my home, Bass is my husband, and we will raise our child here, together, with or without your blessing. It makes no difference to me."

Rachel slowly closes her book and sets it aside, her pale eyes never leaving Charlie's as she gets to her feet. "I know this must be hard for you," Rachel says gently. "But someday you will thank me for taking you away from this mess. Bass is a monster. He will never be able to give you what you deserve."

 _Smack!_

Charlie revels in the sting of her hand, grinning at the glorious look of outrage on her mother's face as the imprint of her hand blossoms on Rachel's cheek. She takes a step closer, invading her personal space, and points a finger directly in her face.

"I've heard enough of your bullshit. I want you out."

"Excuse me?" Rachel says, regaining her composure.

"You heard me. I will not let my baby be influenced by your insanity. I want you out of my house. Now."

Finally, Rachel's confidence wavers and her eyes narrow. "You can't do that, I am your mother."

"I don't care who the hell you are. I won't put my baby or my family through having to put up with you. Miles deserves better than that."

"Ah, I see," Rachel says with a smirk. "Apparently, Miles has told you about our little heart to heart."

Charlie scoffs. "You mean when you tried to use the feelings he had for you twenty years ago against him? Yeah, he told me. And guess what? It didn't work, because Miles doesn't love you anymore."

"So he claims," she says, amusement sparkling in her eyes.

The anger comes back in full force, thrumming through Charlie's veins like liquid fire. She pulls her first back and lets it fly right at Rachel's smug face, making contact with a sickening crunch. Her mother flails a little and falls backward onto the couch with blood already gushing from her obviously broken nose.

"Pack your crap," Charlie tells her angrily. "You're gone by dinner, or I will have the Militia escort you from the building. And not gently."

Charlie makes it to the door just as Bass and Jason come skidding to halt in the doorway. They're wearing matching expressions of concern until they notice Rachel and the blood dripping from her nose, at which point their concern turns into protectiveness. Bass quickly takes her in his arms, assessing her for any damage as Jason takes a defensive stance between the mother and daughter.

"What the hell happened?" Bass asks, his fingers diligently probing her for injuries.

"I want that bitch out of my house," Charlie seethes, pulling from his grasp. He lets her go, frowning at her back as she moves quickly down the hallway. He turns to Jason.

"Lock her down," he says, pointing towards Rachel. "Don't let her out of your sight until we know what the hell is going on."

Jason nods and moves further into the room as Bass takes off after his wife. He finds her pacing in their bedroom, her hands clenching and unclenching into fists while she grumbles to herself. After seventeen years of friendship and a year and a half of marriage, Bass has the good sense to stay out of her war path, though he gets just close enough to brush his fingers over her shoulder as she passes in front of him.

"Hey," he says gently. When her only response is a huff of air, he tries a little harder. "Babe, tell me what's wrong."

Charlie stops in her tracks, setting her hands in her hips defiantly but letting her head hang low. "That woman... she is unreasonable." She looks up to meet his eyes with angry blue ones. "And I want her gone."

"Well," Bass hesitates. "That seems a bit... extreme."

Charlie's eyebrows shoot up high on her forehead. "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew what she did," she says harshly.

"OK, OK. You're probably right." At her angry glare he adds, "I'm _sure_ you are right. But it would be helpful if you told me what she did." His wife takes a deep breath, seeming to consider his logic.

"Yeah, OK." She concedes, taking a deep breath and sitting down on the trunk at the foot of their bed. She explains Rachel's visit with Miles, how she'd demanded that he send Charlie far away and bargained on their former love affiar. She also tells him how Nora reacted to the possibility of another woman being in Miles' life.

"And then she had the nerve to look me in the eye and say that someday I would thank her for this," Charlie explains angrily. "And then I just lost it and punched her."

Bass kneels down in front of his wife and takes her right hand in his so he can examine her swollen knuckles. He plants a gentle kiss on the back of her hand and grins up at her. "You punched your mother?"

Charlie chuckles but adds seriously, "she deserved that and then some. This is why she has to go. I don't want our baby growing up around all that craziness."

Bass lays a hand over her flat belly, a small smile playing at his lips. "I agree."

Charlie smiles wide and gives him a quick kiss. "I knew you would."

"However," he adds, earning himself a glare. "I don't think this is the way to do it."

"What do you mean?"

"What about Danny?" He asks, waiting for her to understand.

Charlie shrugs. "What about him? He thinks she's just as crazy as we do."

"Yes, but she's his mother. If we send her away then Danny will want to go with her."

"Maybe he won't," Charlie says, though she sounds uncertain.

"Then we'd be forcing him to choose between his mother and us, which is exactly what Rachel is trying to make you do right now."

"Which would make us just as bad as she is," she admits softly.

"Exactly."

They sit together for a little while, their fingers intertwined as Charlie calms down.

"Then what do we do? All she's done since she got here is cause problems and I can't deal with it anymore. Maggie said that stress is bad for the baby and all Rachel does is push my buttons."

Bass rubs her stomach thoughtfully, his worry for their child struggling against his concern for Charlie's newfound relationship with her brother. "I don't know yet. Just give me a few days to figure it out. OK?"

Charlie agrees and gives him another kiss.

* * *

A/N *squeals with glee* Charlie punched Rachel! By far my favorite thing I've ever written. ;) Thanks for reading!


	33. Chapter 33

Breakfast is a bit awkward the next morning. While Rachel hasn't been joining them for meals from the start, Ben had at least been making an effort, though he's mysteriously absent this morning. A fact that doesn't go unnoticed, though everyone except for Danny seems to be aware of the fact that it's most likely Charlie's assault on Rachel that caused it. In fact, Bass isn't even sure if the boy knows that his mother and sister fought at all.

"I wonder where Dad is," Danny muses out loud. Everyone at the table carefully avoids his eyes and focuses on their food, Charlie subtly moving her swollen knuckled hand beneath the table.

"Probably in the library," Miles says with a roll of his eyes. "You know how he is."

Danny nods in agreement and continues eating his breakfast as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening while the rest of them worry about what will happen when he eventually finds out.

XxX

True to the promise he made to his wife, Bass has been overworking his tired brain in order to find a solution to their Rachel problem. Unfortunately, short of shipping her off to California, he's come up with nothing. Miles' attempts to help have so far ended in even less unpleasant ways.

He knows that his last hope will be Ben. Really, he's known it from the moment the Matheson's arrived, but he'd been hoping that the situation wouldn't hit murderous levels so quickly. Of course, he should have known better than to hope for that. Charlie's hot headedness is one of the many reasons he fell in love with her. But if anyone can find a way to diffuse the tension between mother and daughter, without dragging Danny into the middle of it, it will be Ben.

Bass finds him lounging in the courtyard under the shade of a tree with his nose burried in a book.

"Guess you found the library after all," Bass jokes.

Ben's eyes flick up to his and he frowns, closing the book and setting it aside. He gives Bass an expectant look. "Well go on then, ask me whatever it is you came to ask."

Bass hesitates. He hadn't been expecting Ben to be quite so hostile, but then again he did marry the man's daughter, so...

"Look, I know that you're mad at me, but I'm not here for me, I'm here for Charlie."

Ben considers him for a moment, then sighs. "What do you want?"

"This arrangement, with you and Rachel living here, with us. It isn't working."

Ben snorts. "Really? What gave you that impression?" He asks sarcastically. "Rachel's broken nose, maybe?"

"Actually, it was exactly that. Charlie wants Rachel gone."

This, if nothing else, seems to clear up Ben's attitude. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I mean that Charlie wants Rachel out of the house. She thinks that she'll be a bad influence on the baby, possibly a danger, and I agree. Since the moment she's arrived, Rachel's done nothing but cause problems and Charlie's finally had enough. She tried to have her thrown out last night but I managed to talk her out of it for now."

"Why?" Ben asks, confusion evident in his voice. "Why bother prolonging the inevitable?"

"Because no matter what crazy scheme you and Rachel seem to think me and Miles are working, all I care about is Charlie's safety and happiness. And if that means I have to play nice with Rachel then I will, but right now I think Charlie would be happier if Rachel was a little farther away."

"Then just kick us out. I know you want to anyway."

Bass can't help but chuckle at the pure truth in his words. "Oh, believe me I've considered it. But Charlie and Danny are just getting to know each other. It would be cruel to tear them apart now just because Rachel can't get along with everyone else."

"So what are you saying? You want me and Danny to stay, and you'll send Rachel off into exile?" Ben shakes his head angrily. "If you really think I'll go along with that then you're crazy."

"Which is why I wasn't even going to suggest it," Bass tells him.

Ben gives him a long, searching look and nods as if he's satisfied with something. "Then what are you going to suggest?"

XxX

"This is ridiculous," Rachel mutters as she continues to shove her belongings into an old suitcase. Ben shoots Bass a look that says he isn't much happier but he shrugs it off.

"Relax, Rachel. You'll only be a few blocks away and Danny can come see you whenever he wants."

"But I can't come see him?" She snaps back.

Bass sighs, shaking his head slowly. "Just for now. Once things between you and Charlie cool down, you will be more than welcome to move back in."

Rachel rolls her eyes at him and turns back to her suitcase. The bedroom door swings open and Miles comes slouching in. The look on his face says that he'd have much rather missed their going away party.

"You guys ready to go yet?" Miles asks awkwardly. Clearly he can't wait for this whole thing to be over.

Rachel turns to glare at him. "You just can't wait to be rid of me, can you? First you turn my daughter against me, and now you're after my son too!" She grabs the nearest thing she can get her hands on, a vase full of fresh flowers, and throws it straight at Miles. He ducks it easily and stares at her with wide eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asks incredulously.

But Rachel merely shrieks something unintelligible and snatches up her suitcase before fleeing the room. Bass, Miles, and Ben all look at each other with matching confused expressions as Charlie enters the room, her gaze immediately drawn to the broken vase on the floor.

"What happened in here?" She asks conversationally.

"Your mother," Bass answers simply.

Charlie nods and moves on as though the vase isn't even there. She crosses the room to embrace her father and gives him a warm smile. "Don't forget to come see me, OK?"

"I won't." Ben promises, kissing her on the cheek before he follows after his wife.

"How did Danny take the news?" Miles asks Charlie once the three of them are alone.

Charlie shrugs. "He says he understands that me and Mom don't get along but he didn't seem too happy with me when I left. I sent Jason to check on him. They're close, maybe he'll be able to explain it better than I can."

Miles gives her shoulder a tight squeeze and kisses her forehead. "You didn't have to kick her out, you know. I'm a big boy, I could have handled Rachel."

"I know you could have, but that doesn't mean you need to. Plus, I don't think there will be any getting along with her after that punch."

The boys both agree with her and the three of them head off to the dining room for dinner. As Bass pushes in Charlie's chair for her, he asks, "so what is this crap I hear about you quitting? I don't remember hiring Nora to be my VP."

"OK, first of all, you didn't hire me to do this job. You dropped it in my lap the day I turned eighteen."

"You say that like you didn't know it was coming," Jeremy says with a grin.

Charlie shakes her finger at him. "Not the point. Anyway, Nora will be a great Vice President, and besides, it's only temporary. I just want to be able to spend some time with the baby when she gets here and the Republic doesn't need a President and a Vice President that are both preoccupied with a newborn."

Bass gives her a funny look, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "You mean _he_. When _he_ gets here."

Charlie raises an eyebrow at him. "No. I said she."

"But-"

"-Oh, hell. I'm taking my dinner upstairs," Miles groans. Jeremy grabs his plate as well and follows Miles out of the room. Bass and Charlie stare at each other across the table.

"The baby could be a girl, you know." Charlie tells him.

"It could also be a boy," he snarks back.

They spend the rest of dinner arguing back and forth, chasing poor Maggie from the dining room as well.

* * *

A/N I apologize for how long it's been since my last update and how random some of this chapter might seem. I've had a rough couple of weeks (blah, blah, excuses, etc.) so my head isn't really back in place yet. I'm trying to get used to a new job so you guys will just have to bear with me. Thank you for reading! :-)


	34. Chapter 34

With life in Independence Hall finally back to some semblance of normal, Charlie can't help but start causing problems again. Nora had been spotted earlier this morning trailing the Vice President around to all of her meetings. Bass only knows this because Miles had come running into his office looking more scared than he'd ever seen him.

"This is a terrible idea," he'd whispered harshly, checking through a crack in the door as if he were afraid the girls might come knocking.

"Nora is more than qualified to do the job Miles. And Maggie said that Charlie needs to take it easy. I don't want her doing more than what's absolutely necessary."

"I'm not talking about Charlie," Miles hissed. "I'm worried about Nora."

Thankfully, Marla had come in with lunch and saved him from listening to that rant again. Apparently Nora is still refusing to speak to Miles so he hasn't even had the chance to explain the whole Rachel situation to her. Charlie told him that Miles had asked her to speak to Nora about it. Judging by the fact that Nora is still ignoring Miles' existence, Charlie wisely decided to stay out of it.

If only everything could be that easy though. Since she's been busy training Nora, there hasn't been much time for Charlie to dwell on Danny's cool attitude towards her, but Bass can tell how much it's hurting her. She hides it well, but he knows her better. The fact that Jason and Danny having been spending so much time together certainly isn't helping things. On more than one occasion, Bass has spotted Charlie watching her two brothers with barely concealed jealousy. It's breaks Bass' heart that his wife feels so left out, but unfortunately there isn't much he can do about it.

So far, his attempts to make her feel better have come off as hovering more than anything else. Charlie has told him on multiple occasions that she doesn't need a babysitter to grow a baby. It's all piling on her like mountain and Bass can tell that the stress is starting to get to her. She hasn't been sleeping well and every time he tries to comfort her she misinterprets it for coddling. The entire situation has been draining on everyone, even the staff are starting to feel the tension.

Maddox, the head of his personal security, is the one who finally comes up with an idea that isn't complete shit.

"Take her on a day trip. Just the two of you, well, and me of course. We'll pack her into a wagon and take her out by the river, you guys can have a picnic, and she can relax."

"You're a genius." Bass tells him with a smile.

"Does that mean I get a raise?"

Bass tosses a crumpled up piece of paper at him and Maddox chuckles the entire way out of the office.

XxX

"Where are we going?" Charlie asks for the hundredth time.

"I told you," Bass says patiently. "It's a surprise."

She huffs and sits back in her seat on the wagon with her arms crossed over her chest, her mouth puckered in a petulant frown.

"Come on, Baby. Can't you just enjoy it, just for a minute?"

Charlie peers at him out of the corner of her eye and sighs in defeat. "Fine."

Bass smiles, reaching out to uncross her arms and take her hand. Their fingers lace together automatically and the tiniest little smile pulls at her lips. Bass takes that as a victory, and asks, "do you remember right after we got engaged, we spent that whole weekend so busy with everyone congratulating us and then your birthday that we didn't even get a moment alone?"

She finally smiles. "Of course I do. We were so busy that we didn't even get to speak until the next Monday, and even then it was only between meetings."

Bass nods, a grin pulling at his lips. "Yeah, and you got so sick of being apart that you finally just dragged me into Marla's broom closet and-"

"-I remember what happened perfectly fine, Bass." She's says with an embarrassed smile. "But why are we talking about it?"

"Because I feel like we've been so busy lately that I haven't even got to celebrate the fact that I'm about to be a father with my beautiful wife yet. That's why we're going out today. I miss you. I miss us."

Tears well up in Charlie's eyes and she brushes them away impatiently. "Stupid hormones," she mutters, leaning over to give him a lingering kiss. "I love you," she adds as she scoots closer and cuddles into his side. Bass wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head.

"Love you too."

XxX

Nora knocks once on the Vice President's door before letting herself in. "Hey Charlie, what is this strategy meeting supposed to be about?" Her voice trails off as she looks around the empty office. "Charlie?" She even checks the closet before heading back out into the hall, only now noticing that Zimmerman, the guy who usually guards the door, is gone. She approaches one of the Privates at the end of the hall and asks, "where did Charlie go? We have a strategy meeting in ten minutes."

"Oh, the President took Mrs. Monroe out for a day trip."

"OK... Well what about the meeting?"

The Private shrugs. "I don't know. That's above my pay grade."

"Of course it is," Nora mutters. "What about Captain Baker, is he around?"

The Private frowns. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I heard someone say something about him taking the day off so he could help Doctor Foster move her stuff from her room at the clinic to his room here."

Nora groans in frustration. "Of course he did! Which means the only person left that I can ask about this stupid meeting is the only person here I don't want to talk to!"

The poor Private backs away from her with scared eyes. "I'm sorry," he mumbles. But Nora just huffs and stomps off. Leave it to Charlie to take the day off knowing that Nora would be forced to spend time with the General. In fact, she wouldn't even be surprised if that had been the younger girl's plan.

But no, Nora refuses to give Miles the satisfaction of her being uncomfortable. So instead she squares her shoulders and knocks politely on his office door, even waiting for his permission to enter.

"What is it?" He murmers, not even bothering to look up from the paper he's squinting at. Nora stops herself from asking where his glasses are and asks instead, "What do I need to bring for this strategy meeting?" He looks up at her in surprise and Nora has to shove down the smug smile threatening her lips.

"Uh," he pauses, blinking rapidly as if he isn't sure she's really there. "Umm..."

"Yes?" Nora goads.

Miles snaps himself out of it with a quick shake of his head. "Nothing really, Charlie should have all the paperwork."

Nora rolls her eyes. "Yeah, well, Charlie isn't here. Apparently, she and Bass decided to take a day trip out of town and she left me to do whatever is that she usually does for these meetings."

It takes a second for the information to sink in but when it does, Miles shallows audibly. "They just left?" He asks in an unsteady voice. He coughs to clear his throat and clarifies. "Both of them, I mean, they didn't even say anything to me about it."

Nora shrugs. "Don't look at me. I just found out." Miles nods, his eyes glued to hers in a sort of trace, making her shift uncomfortably. "So about this meeting," she prompts.

"Oh, right, right." Miles shakes his head again and rifles through the papers on his desk nervously. "It's nothing really. Just a routine check in with the heads from the major cities. Philly, Baltimore, Trenton. No big deal. We just talk about crime rates, stuff like that. Charlie usually just hangs out and takes notes it she thinks something is important."

He says this all rather quickly, avoiding looking at her the entire time. Nora clenches her jaw in frustration. They can't have the General of the Militia acting like a jittery schoolboy.

"Miles."

"Yeah?" Though he doesn't look at her.

"Miles."

He looks up this time, guiltily meeting her eyes. Nora has to look away this time. Those brown eyes have caused her more heartache than she cares to admit and she's not about to start again.

"Look, if we're going to work together then we at least need to be able to speak to one another." She tells him.

Miles nods in agreement. "You're right," he says quietly. "Listen, I owe you an apology-"

But Nora holds a hand up to silence him. "What you do on your own time is your business. And frankly, I don't really care-"

"-I loved her," Miles blurts out.

Nora is stunned into silence. Never in the ten years she's know him, has she heard Miles use the word love towards anyone except Charlie.

"I loved Rachel," he says, quieter this time, his head bowed down to stare at his desk. "A long time ago. And she thought she could use that to make me send Charlie away." His voice regains it's usual volume and he looks up to meet her eyes. "But it didn't work because I don't love her anymore. I haven't for a long time because... I fell in love... with you." Miles blinks and looks away from her again, his cheeks turning pink. "I just thought you deserved to know," he says flatly, then grabs a stack of papers, clearing his throat. "Come on, we've got a meeting to get to."

Nora stares at him with wide eyes as he moves to brush past her towards the door. He opens it and turns, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "You coming?" He asks in a falsely cheery voice.

Shock courses through her, followed quickly by a bubbling rage. "Are you kidding me!" She screams.

Miles' eyes go wide with shock, and possibly fear, but she ignores them.

"Ten years! Ten years I spent following you around, going everywhere you went, doing whatever job you needed done. All the fighting and the arguing, and all the mixed signals. And now, when I finally decide that I'm done, you tell me you love me? Gah!"

Nora rushes forward, her fists hitting every part of Miles she can reach. "You. Stupid. Bastard. I. Hate. You." She stops for half a second to catch her breath and makes the mistake of looking into his eyes. Those brown eyes could melt her soul in a heartbeat, and they do. She reaches up and grabs a fistful of his hair on the back of his head and yanks it down, crushing her lips against his in an angry kiss. Miles hesitates for a second before wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off her feet. Nora obediently wraps her legs around him, oblivious to the office door slamming closed as he walks them over to his desk. Papers scatter across the floor as he drops her onto its surface, his lips still attached to her own.

"Say it again," she gasps against his lips.

"Love you," he breathes, reattaching his lips to her throat.

They never quite make it to that strategy meeting.


	35. Chapter 35

Neck deep in paperwork that should have been done a week ago, Bass decides to work through lunch with the hope that he'll finally get it done. The only reason he's behind is his adorably pregnant wife. Well, sometimes she's adorable. Like this morning when she'd cuddled up next to him in bed, pressed his hand against her little baby bump, and whispered all of the things she hopes their child will become. The world's most renowned surgeon or a hero that leads their country to greatness, or even a simple mother with a loving husband and children of her own.

But Bass has learned not to let the cuteness fool him. One minute Charlie's all cuddles and rainbows, and then the next she's puking her guts out and blaming him for the hang nail she'd had when she was eleven. Seriously, she's blamed him for two hang nails, a scraped knee, and long list of missing socks. And that was just this week.

On the bright side, her mood swings have been keeping everyone on their toes. Independence Hall has never been more alert, though at the moment, everyone seems to be more afraid of attacks coming from the inside rather than the outside.

His office door opens, snapping Bass from his thoughts so he can look up at the woman herself. Charlie stands with her back pressed against the door, a smirk playing at her lips as she clicks the lock into place.

"Babe, what are you doing?" There's a note of caution in his voice that even he notices, but Charlie ignores it and saunters over to him, pushing his chair back from his desk so she can climb into his lap. She kisses him hungrily, her tongue sweeping into his mouth with a hungry growl.

"Not that I'm complaining," Bass says as she unbuttons his shirt and starts licking her way down his neck. "But what brought this on?"

Charlie finishes the buttons of his shirt and bares his chest, her eyes dark as she admires the hard muscle. "Been thinking about you," she says distractedly, raking her nails down his chest and brushing her fingertips across the growing bulge in his pants.

"Well that's good to know." Bass reaches up to stroke her cheek in an attempt to get her attention. "But do you really think we should be doing this in the office?"

"I locked the door," she huffs.

"Yeah, but you know how it is around here, Babe. People are in and out every five minutes."

A low whine starts deep in Charlie's throat and she grinds her hips down against him. "But I want you now," she moans.

That's all it takes for him to cave. Bass takes her lips in a heated kiss, cupping her swollen breasts in his hands and kneading them softly. Charlie breaks the kiss to purr in his ear. "God I love your hands." She's rubbing herself on his leg like a cat in heat and it's driving him crazy. He starts to unbutton the shirt she's wearing only to be stopped by the office door opening and Miles strolling in with his key in hand.

Their eyes meet over Charlie's shoulder, Miles' eyes wide and almost terrified as Charlie notices that they aren't alone and turns to face whoever is interrupting them.

"Miles! The door was locked for a reason," she growls.

He blinks several times and shakes his head, awkwardly waving around the piece of paper in his hand. "Yeah, but I-"

"-Get out!" Charlie shouts at him. Miles nods quickly and all but runs from the room, slamming the door closed behind him. Charlie turns back to Bass with a mischievous smile. "I think we were in the middle of something," she murmers, returning her lips to his. Barely half a second later, the office door flies open and Miles stomps back into the room.

"Are you deaf? I said get out!" Charlie yells.

Miles comes closer to the desk, averting his eyes when he spots Bass' bare chest. "Trust me, if I could be anywhere else right now, I would be. Preferably Mars, but this is important." He brandishes his paper in their general direction and Charlie snatches it from his hand. Her frown deepens the farther down her eyes get on the page.

"What is it?" Bass asks. Charlie hands him the paper but he looks to Miles rather than it.

"It's Georgia. Word just came in that their western border is under attack."

"From who? Frank knows better than to piss off Kelly."

Miles shrugs. "They aren't sure, but Kelly's asking for our help. Her guys are already spread thin as it is and this is smelling like a set up. If she pulls men from somewhere else to send out west then she'll probably be attacked wherever she pulls them from."

Bass scrubs a hand over his face as Charlie clambers off his lap. "Well we have to do something," she says.

Miles nods in agreement. "I can take a small squad down there to back them up and hopefully figure out what's going on before anything else goes wrong."

"Good idea. You should take Tom with you, he's good at wheedling information out of people." Bass says.

The boys share a look and Miles turns to leave, not noticing the horrified look on Charlie's face until a choking sound draws his eyes to her face. Tears are brimming in her eyes and her chest is heaving with every harsh breath that escapes her lips.

"Charlie what's wrong?" Miles and Bass both rush to her side but she's breathing so heavily that she can't speak.

"I'll get Maggie," Bass says, hurrying towards the door.

"You can't leave!" Charlie cries.

Bass steps back to stand next to his wife again, though her eyes are focused completely on Miles. "What are you taking about?" Miles asks her.

"I'm pregnant, you can't just leave! The baby needs her grandpa!"

Miles looks over at Bass at a complete loss for what to say but all he gets is a confused shrug.

"Charlie, honey, you're only three months pregnant. I'll be back long before the baby comes." Miles says soothingly.

Fat tears trickle down Charlie's cheeks as she starts to cry in earnest. "But what if something happens to you!" She blubbers. "I want you here, with me, not in Georgia." Charlie flings her arms around Miles' neck and he's left with no choice but to embrace his distraught niece.

" _What the hell?"_ He mouths at Bass, who can only shrug in return. Charlie has gone from being his horny wife to Miles' little girl in less than sixty seconds and it's kind of making his head spin. He blames the pregnancy hormones.

"Charlie, Baby, listen to me." Bass gently steers her away from Miles and sits her down in his desk chair, crouching down in front of her to wipe away the tears on her face. "Not only is Kelly our friend, but Georgia is an ally The Republic can't afford to lose. We need to show whoever is attacking who they're dealing with and the best way to do that is by sending Miles."

Charlie nods in understanding, a little hiccup escaping her lips as she looks at Miles with pleading eyes. "I know that our people are supposed to come first and that we can't lose Georgia, but I can't afford to lose _you._ Tom can handle it on his own. Please let me be selfish. Just this once."

Miles sighs and moves over to crouch down next to Bass, both of them at her feet. "Tom is good for information but he might need some help if it comes to fighting." Charlie's lower lip starts to tremble so Miles quickly adds, "But I think Jeremy can handle it. He and Tom work well together."

"So you're staying?"

Miles pulls her in for hug, running his fingers through her long hair and kissing the top of her head. "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere."

Charlie sniffles into neck and clings to his shoulders. After a few minutes she mumbles into his neck, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose you."

"It's alright Bug. Everything's going to be fine."


	36. Chapter 36

With the first trimester finally over, Charlie rejoices at the end of the morning sickness. She counts four days in a row where she doesn't wake up and have to shove her head in the toilet, and brags to anyone who will listen. Bass, ever the patient and loving husband, listens attentively to every word she has to say, though he's the only one that seems to be listening lately.

Danny and Jason are closer than ever, their exclusive little club impossible to penetrate. Miles and Nora are busy being a couple, a real one this time, on top being a General and a Vice President. Technically, Charlie is still the VP, but with Nora picking it up so quickly and Maggie wanting her to keep the stress to a minimum, Charlie's pretty much let Nora take the reigns. And with Tom and Jeremy down in Georgia trying to put a stop to the fighting, Charlie is left with no one but Julia and Maggie for company. As much as she loves them both, the two mother hens can be a bit of a downer, leaving Charlie lonely and desperate for some attention.

It pains her to admit that she's become so jealous of everyone else. Jason with his new best friend, Danny without need of an older sister, Miles and Nora content with just each other. The only thing keeping her sane is the knowledge that her baby needs her, even if no one else does.

She is deep in those depressing thoughts when Ben finds her in the library, attempting to distract herself with a book. "Hey sweetheart." He greets her with a broad smile that she tries to return, but doesn't succeed. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," Charlie lies. She's been hearing whispers all around the house about her over-dramatic tendencies and doesn't want to add more fuel to the fire. Ben looks her over with concerned eyes but decides not to comment on her obvious lie, instead inviting her to go out to lunch with him.

"Really?" The disbelief in her voice is unmistakable.

"Yeah. I want to have lunch with my daughter, is that so hard to believe?"

The two of them leave Independence Hall arm in arm, Charlie chattering away about her pregnancy nightmares while Ben listens intently, laughing and nodding in all the right places. It feels good to have someone's attention again, someone other than Bass, so after lunch they go for a walk in the park and lounge in the shade of an old oak tree. They're quiet for a little while, Charlie's mind wandering back to memories of an oak tree from years ago when Shelly had been her teacher.

"When I was a kid, Bass was married to a woman named Shelly. She was schoolteacher. Taught me how to read and write, do math, everything. She was kind and gentle. Always knew what to say to make someone feel better... I miss her." From the moment she'd realized she was pregnant, Shelly has been prominent in her mind. Every little thing seems to remind Charlie of her.

"What happened to her?" Ben asks gently, sensing the sensitive subject.

Charlie picks a few strands of grass and shreds them with her fingers, the vivid memory of finding Bass wandering around their camp in the middle of the night playing in her mind. "She died. They were going to have a baby, but neither of them made it through delivery."

"Bass lost a wife and a child?" He asks incredulously.

Charlie turns to look at him, her eyes sad. "And I lost a friend. We all did. Shelly was one of us. After she died, well, Bass has never really been the same."

"But you still love him," Ben says. It isn't a question, it's more like acceptance. "I still don't get it, but I can see now that you guys are happy."

Smiling, Charlie pats his arm. "You may not understand it, maybe you never will, but I'm glad you're willing to accept it."

Ben nods and takes her hand, giving it a little squeeze. "I just want what's best for you. That's all I've ever wanted." He chuckles and says, "although it wouldn't hurt if you at least tried to explain how you fell in love with a guy who is literally twice your age."

Charlie laughs, putting a hand over her belly to remind herself of the miracle that lays inside. The miracle that she and Bass created together. "I honestly wouldn't even know where to start. All my life the boys have played such a big part. Miles raised me as best as he could, always put me first in everything he did. And Bass... He was just there. A friend to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. Without him, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. He has both guided me and let me grow on my own. We've shaped each other into the best versions of ourselves, and isn't that what a relationship is supposed to be?"

Ben raises his eyebrows in surprise, his mouth dropping open in shock. "I... I guess." He chuckles, his lips quirking in a smile. "You are too wise to only be twenty-two."

"Yeah, well, I grew up with Miles, Bass, and Jeremy. _Someone_ had to be the adult and I think we both know it wasn't any of them."

"No, I guess not." Ben gives her a sad look, his eyes full of guilt. "And I'm so sorry for that. You should never have been put in the position to have to make that choice."

"It's alright. If I hadn't been, I probably wouldn't be who I am today, and I kind of like Charlie Monroe."

Ben laughs, pulling her close and kissing her on the head. "I kind of like her too."

They sit in the park for a little while longer but eventually Ben decides that he needs to get home. "Your mother will worry if I don't get back soon."

Charlie nods in understanding. "You'll come by and see me again though, right?"

"Of course I will." With a kiss on the forehead, Ben leaves the park. Charlie relaxes for a few minutes longer before rising to her feet, realizing that her own spouse will start to worry if she doesn't return soon.

As she makes her way down the foot path, she spots someone in a militia uniform out of the corner of her eye. She turns to look, frowning when she sees Jason pressing some girl against a tree, her blonde hair visible just over his shoulder. Charlie rolls her eyes. She'd thought that Danny and Jason had mentioned doing something this afternoon, but apparently Jason blew him off to hang out with his new girlfriend. Charlie makes her way home with the thought that maybe she and Danny can spend some time together since Jason is busy, though her brother is no where to be found in the house. Shrugging it off, Charlie heads upstairs in search of her husband, the knowledge that he'll at leat be happy to see her bringing a smile to her lips.


	37. Chapter 37

Reports from Georgia have been coming in pretty steadily since even before Tom and Jeremy left, but the good ones have only started to arrive since the boys have been there. Miles hates having to sit back on the sidelines while the others handle something as serious as a border threat, but ever since Bass and Charlie got married it's seemed less and less like she needs him, so he couldn't say no when she asked him to stay behind.

It's hard for him to believe it sometimes, that the five year old he used rock to sleep in those first scary months after the blackout is now twenty-two and preparing to have a child of her own. Seventeen years is a long time, but he often finds himself wishing that she would have stayed little for just a while longer. Life seemed easier when Charlie was his main and only priority. Now he feels torn between his responsibilities to the Republic, his niece, and his girlfriend.

Speaking of Nora, she's running late, which is unusual for her. They're supposed to have lunch together before the afternoon assault of boring meetings begins. Miles taps the breast pocket of his jacket nervously, feeling the tiny ring beneath the fabric to reassure himself that he hasn't lost the engagement ring before even having the chance to give it to her. He's been carrying it around for three weeks while waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question, but somehow the moment just never seems right.

 _Maybe it's too soon,_ he muses while he waits. They've been tangled up in this on-again-off-again relationship for six years, but they've only technically been back together for six weeks. It's taken him a long time to work out his true feelings. Rachel had been a deep gash on his heart for such a long time that he just isn't sure whether jumping into things with Nora is a good idea. But at the same time, there's no doubt in his mind that he loves Nora. He's loved her for a long time.

"Then just do it already," he mumbles aloud to himself.

The silence in his empty office mocks him, the knowledge that he'll just chicken out again undeniable.

 _But why?_

Miles sighs, swiping a hand over his face in frustration. All this touchy feely crap is Bass' department. Sometimes he can get away with asking Charlie, but he isn't sure how she'll feel about him asking her best friend to marry him. Then again, it's not like she considered his feelings when she agreed to marry _his_ best friend. Not that he minded. By that point he was just happy that they would finally stop gushing to him about how much they liked each other and actually start talking to _each other._

 _Maybe that's my problem..._

But it's different for him than it was for Charlie. There's never been any question that he would support whatever decision she made, he'll always love her, no matter what. But what if she decides that she just can't handle his decision and cuts him out of her life, taking Bass and the baby with her.

Not that she would actually do that.

OK, he's pretty sure she wouldn't do that.

 _You could just ask Charlie about it_ , a little voice in his head says.

"Genius," Miles mutters under his breath. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner?

His office door opens and he half expects Charlie to come prancing through it, she has a knack for knowing when she's needed, but it's merely Nora finally arriving for lunch.

"Sorry I'm late," she says with a quick kiss on the lips. "I got held up with Julia. You know how much she likes to talk."

Miles nods absent mindedly, his brain still trying to figure out how Charlie will react when he talks to her.

"Miles, everything OK?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just thinking about something."

"I know how hard that is for you," she jokes.

Miles rolls his eyes at her, his lips quirking into a smile as he does it. This, the easy banter and simplicity between them, is what makes them work. Nora is probably the only woman on the planet, besides Charlie, that can even put up with him.

"Miles," Nora says firmly when she notices the distant look in his eyes. "What's going on?"

He shakes his head roughly and gets up from his seat, brushing a kiss on her cheek as he moves past her. "I'm gonna have to skip lunch today. I need to talk to Charlie about something."

"Can't it wait until after lunch?" Nora asks incredulously.

"Uh. No. It can't." Miles crosses the room back towards Nora and kisses her gently, resisting the temptation to push her back against his desk and skip lunch altogether. "I'll catch up with you later, OK?"

Nora shakes her head confusedly but doesn't argue. "OK."

Miles opens the office door and steps out into the hallway only to stop and turn back around. "I love you Nora. You know that, right?"

Her smile lights up her beautiful face, her eyes shining bright with happiness. "Yeah. I love you too."

Miles can't help but grin in response as he walks down the hallway in search of his niece.

XxX

Charlie's been on Jason's case about his new girlfriend for over a week but so far hasn't had any success getting him to talk. Which is unusual for him. Normally, the mere mention of women has him spilling the beans even when you don't want to hear it. She suspects it has something to do with Danny. Maybe now that he has a guy friend to talk to, Jason doesn't want to share his news with her. The thought makes her heart sink but Charlie is determined not to let it keep her down. One way or another, she will figure out what is going on.

Her first stop is Danny. No more of this avoiding her in the hallways or skipping out before dinner is finished. He _will_ talk to her and she _will_ figure out what Jason is hiding.

Charlie rounds the corner near Danny's room and doesn't even think to knock before she pushes open his bedroom door. What she finds is enough to render her completely speechless. Jason, with his uniform jacket haphazardly discarded to the floor and his shirt hiked up around his shoulders, his lips attached to - wait... Is that Danny? His pale chest bright in the afternoon sunlight, his fingers grabbing insistently at Jason's pants.

Neither man seems to be aware of her presence as Charlie takes a step back from the open door, trying to take slow, deep breaths. "Oh my God."

The boys break apart with a comical popping sound, both of their eyes wide with shock, confusion, and quite possibly guilt.

"Charlie," Jason says weakly, gasping for breath. "What are doing here?"

But she's still too shocked to string her sentences together. Watching her best friend, practically her brother, making out with her actual brother. This is _soo_ not what she'd been expecting when she went in search of Jason's secret.

"Charlie. Say something." Jason says worriedly.

She shakes her head roughly and clears her throat. "I-I uh, I was just... Looking for Danny," she finally gets out.

Her brother grabs his shirt and yanks it over his head, rushing towards her with pleading eyes. "This isn't what it looks like. I swear."

Over his shoulder, Charlie takes a look at the half naked man standing in her brother's bedroom which shocks a laugh out of her. It's a belly shaking laugh that leaves her breathless. "Are you kidding me?" She says as she wipes the tears from her eyes. "Are you gonna tell me that you guys were just practicing mouth to mouth resuscitation?"

"Well... No." Danny picks awkwardly at his shirt sleeve until Jason appears next to him, now fully clothed, and gently pushes past him.

"I'll see you later," he murmers in Danny's direction, grabbing Charlie by the wrist and dragging her down the hallway behind him.

With the bizarre turn of events, meaning that she now understands why the boys have been ditching her, Charlie is gaining her positivity back and can't help but note the deep frown on her best friend's face. "Jason, hang on a second." But he merely sends her a look that says _not here_ and continues to lead her where he wants them to go.

They wind up in the clock tower room, their old secret hideout where they used to go in order to get away from the adults and the craziness that surrounded their childhoods. Charlie takes a seat on a dusty crate and lets Jason gather his thoughts. Clearly this isn't how he'd planned to tell everyone.

"Jason," she says after a few minutes of his overwhelming silence. "Why didn't you just tell me? The past few weeks I've been thinking that you'd replaced me with Danny, that you didn't need me anymore."

He shakes his head slowly, his face torn between guilt and confusion. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen-"

"-No, don't apologize." Charlie cuts him off quickly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I just... it would have been nice to know what was going on with you guys."

"I don't even really know what's going on," he admits softly.

Charlie nods. She doesn't want to push him but there is one thing that she really isn't getting. "Can I ask you something?" She says hesitantly.

"'Course."

"I thought that... I mean you've never, well, I've never _seen_ you with..."

"A guy?" He finishes for her.

"Yeah."

Jason bites the inside of his cheek and shrugs helplessly "That's 'cause I've never been with a guy. Well, until now."

Their eyes meet and Charlie has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Stop it. This isn't funny," Jason says in his best stern voice, but it only makes the laughter bubble up and burst of her. He eventually joins in, slouching over to her so he can plop down on the crate as well. Charlie gets her giggles under control and bumps his shoulder with her own.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I didn't want you guys to think that I'm like, some kind of sissy now."

"What? No one is going to think that." Charlie says firmly.

"You don't now that. People talk."

Charlie snorts. "Jason, the entire Republic thought Miles and Bass were together for years. It wasn't until me and Bass got married that they finally let it go, and even now, people talk all the time about how my husband is having an affair with my uncle."

The ridiculousness of it is enough to bring a genuine smile to Jason's lips, his shoulders seeming to lift up from under all that weight.

"So are you going to tell me how this even happened or am I just gonna have to guess?" Charlie asks with a grin.

"Oh, shut up." Jason says with a roll of his eyes, standing from the crate to leave the room. "Can't you just mind your own business for once in your life?"

"No." Charlie hops down from the crate to follow him back downstairs. "I mean, you are my best friend. We tell each other everything. And I can tell that deep down, you're just dying for some serious girl talk. You want to tell me about how horrible of a kisser he is or how he chews his food? I'm a good listener. Just ask Nora."

"Ew. You and Nora talk about how Miles kisses?"

"Amongst other things that will be permanently burned into my brain," Charlie says with a scrunched up face.

Jason holds his hand up in an attempt to keep her quiet. "OK, I've heard enough."

"Heard enough of what?" Miles asks, appearing out of nowhere and stopping them in their tracks.

Jason subtly shakes his head, telling Charlie that he isn't ready to spread the word about his newfound sexuality just yet, and takes off in the opposite direction of the General. "Trust me Miles. You don't want to know."

Miles frowns afafter the younger man, but it quickly turns into a nervous smile as he looks down at his niece. "I've been looking for you."

"Why, what's up?"

"Uh... I, uh..."

"Oh no, I hope you aren't about to tell me you're gay."

Miles' eyes go wide. "What? No!"

Charlie grins up at him. "Just checking."

He shakes his head at her and pushes a hand nervously through his dark hair. "I need to talk to you about something."

Noticing the serious tone of his voice, Charlie nods and looks up at him expectantly. He hesitates under her gaze, his confidence wavering with every passing second.

"Is this about Nora?" Charlie finally asks, her voice so soft that he can barely hear her.

"Yeah, how did you-"

Charlie smiles gently, her blue eyes looking up at him with admiration, love, and respect. She reaches out and puts her hand on his chest, right over where the ring is sitting snugly in his pocket, and leans in close to whisper. "She won't wait forever Dad."

They share a look, understanding passing between them in mere seconds without a single word. After all these years, the fact that he ever even doubted Charlie is laughable. He clears his throat loudly, attempting to blink away the sudden tears in his eyes. "Thanks Bug."

Charlie kisses his cheek gently and then playfully shoves him away from her in the direction of Nora's office. "Now go. Shoo. I have a bachelorette party to plan." She winks at him and sets off down the hallway, leaving Miles all alone in a puddle of his own nervous sweat.

He wonders vaguely if Bass had been this nervous when he proposed to Charlie and makes himself feel a little better with the knowledge that at least he doesn't have to find Nora's dad and ask permission first.

* * *

A/N Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows. I honestly can't believe that you guys are still reading this meandering tale of... Well, I'm not even sure what exactly this is about anymore. Lol. Let me know what you think if you've got a minute. :-D


	38. Chapter 38

A/N The 'RandomReviewer' kindly asked how Jason and Danny got together so I thought I would oblige. Truthfully, I put them together because I thought it paired everyone off nicely but I've given it some thought since then. We'll be backtracking to some earlier chapters to help piece it together. I'll try not to confuse you. Enjoy!

* * *

Riding through the Georgia heat in the middle of the summer is doing nothing to help his already problematic asthma. He's been sitting in the back of this wagon for three weeks and Mom and Dad still won't tell him what's going on. They'd woken him up in the early hours of the morning, told him to pack the necessities, and are currently dragging him through the Georgia Federation towards the Monroe Republic.

Why on earth anyone would want to go there is beyond him.

XxX

West Virginia was the worst. In fact, Danny's pretty sure he hasn't breathed properly since they crossed into the territory. Mom and Dad still won't tell him why they're going to Philadelphia, but he's heard them arguing late at night when they think he's sleeping. Whatever their plan is, it involves a girl.

XxX

Too much sun, too much pollen, too much _outside_. He's always been more of an indoor kid, it's safer that way. But now he's collapsed in the back of their wagon, exhausted and barely able to breathe. He prays that they'll arrive in Philadelphia soon, if for no other reason than he'll finally be able to rest.

XxX

Someone keeps nudging his leg. It's annoying. He wishes they would go away. It's probably just Dad waking him up so they can make camp, so he ignores them.

"Hey, kid. Wake up."

 _But that doesn't sound like Dad's voice._

Danny blinks open his swollen eyes and finds himself trapped under a man's unfamiliar gaze. Dark brown eyes and a stiff looking uniform, the poor guy must be sweating to death in the sweltering heat.

"What's your name, kid?" The man asks impatiently and Danny bites back the irritation at his words. This guy's what? Four, maybe five years older.

"Danny. Danny Matheson."

Something flickers in the other man's eyes. Recognition followed by... panic, maybe? What could a soldier in the Monroe Militia possibly be afraid of?

There's no time to analyze the Militia man's strange behavior though. The sun is hot and the air is heavy, his lungs feel like an elephant decided that his chest would make a good seat. He coughs and sputters uncontrollably as another soldier leads him inside, though he doesn't miss the man's worried voice as it carries across yard.

"Go find Doctor Foster."

 _Finally_ , Danny thinks as he stumbles up the stairs of a large building. _Someone is actually paying attention to me._

Xxx

The doctor is incredibly kind, not at all what he'd expected coming from the Monroe Republic, and he's feeling better already. Although the Militia Captain, Baker - he thinks, is asking an awful lot of questions. Of course he's sure he doesn't have a sister. Pretty sure he would remember having a sibling.

The Captain and the doctor dissappear out in the hallway, leaving Danny along with his thoughts and the ability to breath properly. He doesn't have any idea why his parents would try to break into Independence Hall.

 _Can you say, suicide mission?_ Danny thinks with a have been stories circulating around Georgia for years about the Militia's brutality. Though he must admit, he hasn't seen it yet. Actually, all they've done so far is try to help him. His mom would totally freak if she heard him say that. She's hated Monroe for as long as he can remember but he doesn't really understand why.

 _Maybe she's wrong._

XxX

The moon has risen fully in the night sky and Danny feels more exhausted than he's ever been, yet he can't seem to sleep. A nice lady with a maids cart brought him dinner a few hours ago but had no new of his parents to share. The Captain hasn't been back to talk to him, nor has he seen the other Militia guy. The one with the dark eyes that kept calling him kid.

Danny snorts aloud in the quiet room and mumbles to himself. "Not a kid."

There's a soft knock at the door and the man himself pokes his head inside. Their eyes meet, the man's steps faltering when he realizes that Danny is still awake.

"Oh, sorry. I was just coming to make sure you were alright in here. You know, make sure I didn't need to get the doc again."

A small smile breaks across Danny's face as he shakes his head. "No, I'm fine."

The other man nods, hesitating on the threshold before entering the room and shutting the door behind him. Danny steps back instinctively, his mind conjuring up all of the horrible stories his mother had ever told him about the Militia.

"What do you want?" He asks nervously.

The man's dark eyebrows furrow, his lips pulling into a straight line. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Oh." Danny feels himself flush with embarrassment and thanks whatever God there is that it's dark in the room. "Go for it."

"It's about your parents. They really didn't tell you why they wanted to come to Philadelphia? That seems like something they would share with their son."

"No they didn't tell me anything. Why do you people keep asking me that?" Danny asks, feeling his irritation growing. But rather than jumping to defend himself like Danny had expected, the other man simply shakes his head with a sad look in his eyes.

"No reason. Sorry I bothered you," he says as he walks to the door.

Guilt tears at Danny's chest, a strange sensation when mixed with his frustration. "Wait."

The man turns to look at him with curiosity sparkling in his eyes. Unsure of why he told him to wait, Danny searches for something to say.

"What's your name?" He asks when nothing else comes to mind.

The man smiles, broad and welcoming, warm in a way that Danny didn't know a smile could be. "I'm Jason. Jason Neville."

When he's gone, Danny decides to add Jason Neville to his new list of things he doesn't quite understand. Along with why his parents dragged him all the way here and why the Militia seems so goddamn curious about it.

XxX

Sister. Sister. _Sister_. He has a sister. A living, breathing human being that shares most of his DNA. They have different hair and different eyes, but their noses are exactly the same. Its weird.

He hasn't spoken to either of his parents since they spilled the beans. How do you keep a child, his sister, a secret for seventeen years? More importantly, why?

He is beyond frustrated with them and this entire situation. At this point, Danny would be perfectly content to pack up and head back to Georgia so he could pretend that none of this had ever happened.

She seems nice, though. But she's married to the President and he's pretty sure the President is an old dude. Oh well, to each his own. Or her own, in this case. He would like to talk to her, try to get to know her, but she seems so set in her perfect little life here in Independence Hall that he isn't even sure where he'd fit in. Apparently his sister will be just another family member that doesn't need him.

XxX

Meeting and afternoon teas, galas and party planning, dress shopping and flower arrangements. He's only been hanging around Charlie for a week and he already has no idea how her head hasn't exploded. Apparently, the Monroe Republic can't even function without her to push all the right buttons.

He often feels like his tagging along is just getting in her way but Charlie insists that he join her during her daily duties. It's nice that she's trying, he just wishes it didn't feel so forced.

So far, Jason is the only one that seems genuinely happy to see him, though Danny gets the feeling that it's more out of his love for Charlie than anything to do with him. The two of them are practically inseparable, always talking, always laughing, sometimes having entire conversations with just a look. If it weren't for Charlie's apparent love for her husband, Danny might suspect that she and Jason were having an affair. But their relationship isn't quite right for that. They're too close, almost like brother and sister.

 _But I'm not jealous,_ Danny reminds himself.

But he is. Jealous that Charlie went on and found herself a new brother to replace him and jealous that all of Jason's attention is on her. It's an odd feeling. He's never really been the jealous type, so where is all of this coming from?

XxX

This little... infatuation he has for Jason is getting out of control. At first he just like hanging out with him, it was nice to have a real friend, someone he could talk to. But now... It's moved on to a full scale crush. Man, he hates that word, but that's exactly what it is. A crush.

Every joke, every laugh, every smile, makes his stomach twist up in knots and it's the weirdest thing he's ever experienced. Sure, he's had girlfriends, but Jason is no girl. He's all muscle, strength topped with the most sincere smile he's ever seen.

It's refreshing and terrifying all at once.

He hopes Jason doesn't find out.

XxX

It's the night of the gala and Jason's mom, Julia, has been after them for hours. "Comb your hair, don't wrinkle your suit, manners!" It's giving him a headache.

Jason grins at him from across the room while Julia goes over the night's schedule, again, and discreetly pulls a flask from his jacket pocket to take a sip. Danny rolls his eyes at him, but can't stop the smile that tugs at his lips. He could definitely use a drink right now.

Moving slowly, he crosses the room without Julia noticing since she too busy fussing about Charlie's hair, though Miles does smirk at him as Jason hands over the flask and he takes a sip. Danny just sticks his tongue out at him.

The drinking doesn't stop there. They refill the flask with some of Bass and Miles' good scotch, Jason swears they won't notice, and down that too, along with a glass of homemade wine that's meant for the party. By the time the party actually starts, Danny can barely walk straight. He's been leaning on Jason all afternoon, enjoying his steady warmth and then backing away from him, confused by by the strange feelings swirling in his gut.

 _He has such thick lips,_ Danny thinks as Jason introduces him to another round of party guests. _I wonder if they're as soft as they look._

 _Wait. What?_

Danny back away from the group of strangers abruptly, causing Jason to look at him with concern. "Hey, you OK?"

Unable to look him in the eyes, Danny turns in the direction of the patio. "Yeah, just need some air." He speeds off without waiting for a response, hurrying into the cool evening air to try and clear his head.

 _I don't really want to know what his lips feels like._

Or does he.

"Hey, are you alright? Do you need Maggie?" Jason asks, his voice laced with worry. Danny chances a glance at him and finds his dark brown eyes only a few inches away, his full lips almost level with his eyes. He looks away quickly.

"I'm fine," Danny says, his voice scratchy. "Just had too much to drink I guess."

Jason looks at him with disbelief and leans down to catch his eyes. "Are you sure? You look upset."

He looks so worried and if it wasn't the nicest anyone's ever been to him Danny might not care, but Jason is the nicest person he knows. And he does care, maybe a little more than he should.

"It's nothing," he tells him with a shake of his head.

"Don't lie to me, Danny. What's wrong?" Jason lays a hand on his shoulder, the warmth of his fingers and his closeness, and his rich scent making it impossible to think straight. Danny reaches up an presses a kiss on Jason's lips. It's awkward and badly aimed, landing on the corner of his bottom lip, and only lasts a second. When he pulls away, Danny turns brick red, utterly mortified.

"Oh shit."

Jason doesn't say anything, but merely looks at him curiously as if he were a difficult puzzle.

"I'm so sorry," Danny murmers, backing away from the scene while he plans his escape to Mexico in his head. "I'm sorry."

He gets about three steps before Jason is right back in front of him invading his personal space, his eyes a mixture of confusion and something that Danny can't identify.

"I'm sorry," Danny whimpers, terrified of what will happen next, but Jason I stead of attacking him like he'd half expected, Jason kisses him. It's fully on the mouth this time and his stomach erupts in a volcano of butterflies as he smiles against Jason's lips.

They are pretty soft.


	39. Chapter 39

_Somewhere along the Georgia/Plains Nation border..._

"Are you sure we're in the right place?"

Tom sighs in annoyance, urging his horse to go faster.

"Hey Tom, did you hear me?" Jeremy asks, his horse falling in step next to Tom's.

Rolling his eyes, Tom looks over at his fellow Captain. "Yes Jeremy, I heard you the first time. And the second time. And the third time."

"Well are we going the right way then?" He asks impatiently.

"Yes we are. And if you tell me to stop and ask for directions one more time, I will shoot you myself and tell Miles and Bass that you were killed by a gang of rouge bandits."

Jeremy scoffs. "They wouldn't believe you."

"Wouldn't they?" Tom asks amusedly. "Miles still thinks Charlie believed in the tooth fairy until she was twelve and Bass still thinks that Miles doesn't know about about he and Charlie's pre-marital indiscretions."

Jeremy laughs, then frowns. "OK, so maybe Bass and Miles would believe you, but there's no way you'd fool Charlie. She'd call you on it in a heartbeat."

Tom shrugs. "I'll just blame it on her pregnancy hormones."

Shaking his head in amusement, Jeremy punches his arm. "You're a terrible person."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Quit your yapping. I'd like to go home some time this year. Julia wasn't all that happy that I had to leave in the first place."

"Yeah, Maggie wasn't exactly excited about it either."

Tom turns to look at Jeremy with a raised eyebrow. "First fight?"

Jeremy shrugs. "I don't know. It didn't really feel like a fight. She knows that Charlie didn't mean for me to get sent in Miles' place and she understands why I was, but that doesn't mean she likes it."

Tom nods in understanding. "I remember the first time I got sent away. Julia was pissed. Didn't talk to Bass or Miles for six months. But trust me, the welcome home sex is fantastic."

They both laugh, catching a few of the boys from their squadron laughing as well. "If any of you ever repeat that to my wife, you're dead." Tom tells them with the most serious face he can muster.

"Yes, sir!" They call back, grins spread across their faces.

Later that day, after the camp has been set up and the watch schedule set, Tom and Jeremy sit across from each other on their cots with their meager dinners on their laps.

"I bet Bass and Miles are gorging themselves on something delicious right now," Jeremy grumbles.

Tom chuckles. "Nah, it's late. They're probably fast asleep in their comfortable beds with their women by their sides."

"What I wouldn't give for that right now."

Tom nods in agreement, stuffing a fork full of potatoes into his mouth just as a gunshot rings out in the distance. Both men freeze, their eyes locked on each other.

"Was that..." Jeremy whispers. Tom nods just as a young Sergent bursts into their tent.

"Sirs! It's an attack, we're surrounded!"

Jeremy and Tom share a look. "What was that you said about us being in the wrong place?" Tom asks.

"Shut up Dick."

XxX

 _Meanwhile, in Philadelphia..._

"Babe, you're sweating."

"Hmm?" Bass asks distractedly, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "No I'm not."

Charlie shakes her head in amusement, turning her attention back to the doctor kneeling in front of her. "Well?" She asks, attempting to conceal her own worry.

Maggie smiles up at the worried couple as she pulls her ancient stethoscope away from Charlie's abdomen. "Everything seems fine. The baby has a strong heartbeat, your blood pressure is great, and I know for a fact that you've been getting plenty of rest."

"She has," Bass assures her unnecessarily.

Charlie rolls her eyes at him, plucking a handkerchief from her pocket and handing it to him to wipe away his excessive sweat. "I feel great," she tells Maggie.

"No more nausea? Any pain?"

"Nope."

Smiling, Maggie gently pats her cheek. "Keep it up and we'll have a happy, healthy baby in no time."

Bass swallows audibly, slumping down onto the couch next to his wife. Maggie gives him a look of concern and scoots over to look at him more closely.

"And how is dear old dad?"

He blinks rapidly, trying to bring her face into focus. "Never better," he murmers.

"Right." Maggie reaches out and grabs the flask hanging out of his jacket pocket, giving it a little shake. "Half empty? Seems like you're self medicating again."

"Am not." Bass attempts to snatch the flask back but Maggie pulls it away.

"We talked about this Bass. You need to cut back on the alcohol. It's bad for your blood pressure."

He huffs in response, rolling his eyes at her. "I'm fine."

"You are not fine. You're the President of a country and about to be a first time father at the same time. You're stressed, which I understand, but this-" she shakes the half empty flask in his face. "-is not the way to deal with it."

Charlie bites back a smile at Maggie's direct approach and takes her husband's hand. "I know you're worried, but this is supposed to be a happy time. At least try to enjoy it with me."

Bass takes a deep breath and looks down at her. "I'm trying," he whispers.

"I know." Charlie gives him a gentle kiss as an idea pops into her head. "Tell you what, if you can manage not drinking until the baby is born, I'll let you name them."

"Really? Whatever I want?"

Charlie grins. "If you can stay sober that long, then you can name them whatever you want. But if you can't, then I get to name them."

"Deal." Bass kisses her again while Maggie laughs. "What's so funny?" He asks her.

Rolling her eyes at him, Maggie starts packing up her work bag. "Oh, nothing. Just the fact that you've basically guaranteed that you'll have no say in what to name your child."

Bass scoffs. "I'll be fine. I've quit drinking before."

"Yeah, for like a day," Charlie giggles.

Bass gives her an indignant look, getting up off the couch to stomp across the room. "I can do this," he says insistently. "You'll see." He slams the door dramatically behind him, causing both of the girls to laugh.

"I give it a week," Maggie says with a smile.

Charlie thinks about it for a moment, then shakes her head. "No, it's for the baby, so he'll hold out a little longer than that. I give it three weeks."

"Three weeks for what?" Jason asks as he plops down next to her on the couch with Danny on his other side.

"How long Bass can stay sober," Maggie explains.

The boys both laugh. "I give it a day, maybe two." Jason says.

"I don't know, Charlie has a point about it being for the baby. I give him two weeks." Danny says.

Miles chuckles from his place in the doorway and they all turn to look at him. "What's so funny?" Charlie asks.

He shakes his head at them, reaching into his jacket for his own flask to take a sip. "You're all wrong," he tells them smugly. "Bass will do anything for that kid, even if it means giving up his drink. The real bet will be, how long can we all put up with a sober Bass? I give it a week before you all start begging him to drink again."

They all look at each other for a moment as his words sink in, panic slowly growing in every one of them.

"Oh no. What did I do?" Charlie whispers.

Miles laughs. "You just took away the only thing keeping Bass on the level and now you're going to have to deal with him, because sober Bass is not my problem."

Charlie turns to Maggie with wide eyes. "Why did you let me do that?"

But Maggie merely shrugs. "I said he should cut back, I didn't say anything about quiting cold turkey. That was your idea!"

"Oh God." Charlie puts her face in her hands, wanting nothing more than to smother her family as they laugh at her expense and begins plotting all of the ways she can slip alcohol into her husband's drinks without his knowledge.


	40. Chapter 40

_Georgia Federation Garrison, Union City, Tennessee_

Tom makes his way down the busy streets at a quick pace. The visit with the remaining soldiers of their squadron had been necessary, Jeremy had insisted, but now he's eager to get back to his friend. He himself had somehow managed to escape their scuffle at the Plains border unscathed, but poor Jeremy took a bullet to the shoulder. A through and through, but a gunshot wound nonetheless. The garrison itself is placed at the edge of the city, but the hospital where his friend is being treated is in the center of the city. The back and forth trips everyday are starting to grate on his nerves. About a block away from his destination, he's stopped by a man about his age in a uniform.

"Excuse me, are you Captain Neville?"

His current dislike for the Georgians, due to the fact that the ambush was their fault, causes him to frown. "Depends who's asking."

The man smiles and says, "Major Ryan Goodwin. President Foster sent me to help you out."

"I think we've had enough of your people's help," Tom tells him coolly. "Now if you'll excuse me, my partner is laid up in bed with a GSW and he's expecting me." Smirking, he moves to brush past the Major without a second thought.

"Wait, I understand that you guys are pissed, but we still have to work together."

"Pissed?" Tom asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Four KIA's and six wounded, including one of my best friends. I'm not pissed Major, I'm irate. That's four letters that I had to write. Four families that will never see their children again. And that's on you guys."

Major Goodwin has the decency to look ashamed, but still adds, "Georgia isn't to blame. The intel Dixon gave you was bad, that's on him. Don't write us all off because of one bad egg."

Tom considers this for a moment and ultimately decides to play along, as long as it shuts this guy up. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Well I was hoping that you and I might work together," Goodwin says with a tentative smile.

Huffing a laugh, Tom pats the other man's shoulder. "I don't need your help. I've already sent word back home for reinforcements which should arrive in a matter of weeks. And once he gets here, your shit storm should clear right up."

"He?" Goodwin asks uncertainly.

"General Miles Matheson."

Major Goodwin turns white as a sheet, the rumors of Miles' ruthlessness on the battlefield, severe protectiveness of his people, and zero patience for stupidity evidently preceding him. The Major clears his throat awkwardly and slaps on his best political smile, undoubtedly under President Foster's orders. "Great. We'll need all the help we can get."

Tom smiles smugly and shakes the other man's hand. "Looking forward to working with you then."

"Uh huh."

He leaves the Major standing terrified and dumbstruck in the middle of the street and heads back to the hospital, stopping to grab Jeremy a snack along the way so he doesn't have to listen to him whine about the hospital food.

 _About a week later… Independence Hall_

Elbow deep in dough and covered in flour, Charlie doesn't notice Bass come into the kitchen until he steps up behind her to nuzzel her neck. "What on earth are doing?"

"I am making a batch of rolls to take to that homeless shelter on the west side. The lady that runs it, Evelyn, is always talking about how they only have soup to give out, sometimes not even that, so I thought I'd pitch in."

Bass releases her slowly and steps around the counter to face her and the mess she's made. "Not that I don't admire that, but why the sudden interest in the homeless population?"

Charlie shrugs. "I'm just trying to help out."

Frowning, Bass reaches across the counter and takes a ball of dough from her hand causing her to look up at him. "Hey you didn't wash your hands," she scolds.

Ignoring her remark, Bass sets the dough aside and looks her directly in the eye. "Now tell me what's really going on."

"What do you mean?" She asks while she busies herself with more dough.

"Well on Monday, you cleaned out your closet, and mine. Then on Tuesday, you spent the entire day alphabetizing the bookshelves in my office. And Danny told me that yesterday you went around the entire house and the Academy writing people up for wardrobe infractions. And now all of a sudden you're worried about the homeless having rolls with their dinner. What's going on with you honey?"

"It's nothing," Charlie tells him flatly.

Bass raises an eyebrow at her, which she merely returns with her own. "Charlotte," he warns in a low voice, making her eyes go wide.

"Sebastian William Monroe! I am your wife, not a child to be scolded." She drops her dough back in the bowl and makes her way around the counter, advancing on him threateningly.

"OK, OK, OK. You're right-"

"-Damn right I am."

"But still," Bass adds gently, taking her hands in his own. "Lying to me only makes it so I can't help. Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."

Charlie sighs. "This isn't something you can fix Bass."

"Just tell me Baby, I promise I'll do whatever it takes."

She smiles up at him and pats her ever growing belly. "This isn't something that you can make go away."

Bass pauses, the confusion evident on his face. "The baby is the problem? What… you've changed your mind? You don't want-"

"-No, no, no. Of course I want our baby, Bass. How could you even think that I wouldn't? The problem is being pregnant. Nobody will let me help with anything. Miles won't let me sit in on meetings, Nora doesn't need my help with any of the VP stuff, even Danny and Jason won't let me hang around for more than ten minutes without suggesting I go take a nap. Everybody thinks I'm useless, so I'm just trying to do something helpful for a change." She turns back to her dough and pounds her fist down into it. "I just want to be useful again, OK?"

Bass embraces his wife from behind and gently runs his hands over her protruding stomach. "I don't think you're useless Charlie."

Slumping back against him, she turns her head to look up at his face. "I know you don't, but I need to do this. For myself. OK?"

Nodding, he gives her a lingering kiss and heads over to the sink to wash his hands. "I'll help you."

"Oh no you don't." Charlie waves a flour covered hand at him. "You have work to do, now get your butt upstairs. I don't want you trying to use this as an excuse for being late for dinner."

He puts on an exaggerated pout for her benefit and stomps all the way out of the kitchen like an overgrown child, waiting until he's far enough away that Charlie won't hear him tell Maddox to keep an eye on her during her trip to the west side of town.

XxX

Eleven years she's lived in Philadelphia. Eleven years as a resident, four of those as the Vice President, and two and a half as the First Lady. All of that time and all of those responsibilities, and this is the first time she's ever set foot in the West side. Typically, she just sticks to Independence Hall because when people need to see her they come to her, not the other way around. Truthfully, she's probably seen more of cities in other places than she has of the one she lives in.

The shelter is a small, rundown building. Most likely an office pre-blackout, that has been repurposed to fit the needs of the growing population. Evelyn, the nice older lady that runs the place, offers to give Charlie a tour but she turns it down with the excuse that stairs and being seven months pregnant don't go well together. The truth is that she isn't sure she wants to see what horrors lie beyond the main floor cafeteria.

It smells like urine and unwashed bodies mixed with wet dog. The floor is covered in sticky wet spots that Charlie doesn't even want to think about. She pauses for a moment, fully aware of Maddox and the several dozen homeless people watching her, and steels her nerves. She is the Vice President of the Monroe Republic. Wife of President Sebastian Monroe and de facto daughter of General Miles Matheson. She's seen more than her fair share of shit. A little pee is no big deal.

The rolls she baked are still fresh and once people realize what she has they start crowding around her to get one, making Maddox nervous and her feel claustrophobic. But she puts on her best smile, channeling her inner Julia, and hands them out one by one, even shaking hands when they finally realize who she is. Despite being helplessly homeless, they all seem incredibly interested in the affairs of Independence Hall, specifically her pregnancy. When the rolls are gone, all five dozen of them, and she's heard all of the well wishes they have to give, Charlie separates herself from the crowd and goes in search of Evelyn. After seeing how bad this place is, she plans to help out as much as she can and wants to know where she should start.

On her way past several tables surrounded by makeshift chairs, Charlie spot a man slouched on a crate with his eyes fixated on the window. She approaches him slowly, noting his baggy clothes and sunken skin. He looks like a man who has recently lost a lot of weight.

"Hi, I'm Charlie." But the man doesn't look at her or even acknowledge her in any way. "Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to say hello. And I'm sorry if you didn't get a roll today. I'll be sure to bring more tomorrow."

The man continues to stare out the window, though he mumbles something that she doesn't quite catch.

"What did you say?" Charlie looks out the window as well in an attempt to figure out what he's looking at but all she sees are some trees near the sidewalk out front.

The man's silence continues, which normally would make her determined to make him talk, but she's tired and her feet hurt so she lets Maddox lead her outside and help her into a wagon for the short ride home.

"Did you hear what he said?" She asks Maddox as they ride alongside each other.

"Nah. He just mumbled something. Probably nonsense."

Charlie nods, though she isn't sure she actually agrees.

XxX

The house is in chaos. Maggie is crying uncontrollably while Julia attempts to console her, Jason is itching for a fight, Miles is barking orders left and right, and Bass can't even string two thoughts together without his eyes crossing. Nora is suspiciously quiet, though everyone else is too busy to notice. The bad news from the border has everyone on edge. They all know what needs to be done, but they're dreading what will happen when Charlie finds out.

Bass manages to get himself under control long enough to set down the glass of scotch he'd poured before he takes a drink. No matter how much he wants to drown himself in it, a bet is a bet. He can't drink until the baby is born if he wants Charlie to let him name it.

It feels like hours pass before she finally arrives looking tired but pleased with her days work. She takes a quick look around the room, her smile dropping when she sees the tears on Maggie's face.

"Oh my God, Maggie what - Oh no, Jer. Is he OK? What happened? Is he…" She turns to Bass with terrified eyes, unable to even ask the question.

"He's alive," Bass assures her. "GSW to the shoulder. Doctor said he'll be fine."

Charlie sighs with relief before rushing to Maggie's side to wrap an arm around her. "What the hell happened down there? I thought the boys were still chasing down leads? We still don't even know who we're fighting!" Her blue eyes are full of fear and anger on Tom and Jeremy's behalf, and now that she's here, Bass is ready to tell everyone everything he knows.

"I don't have all the answers. All I have is this letter Tom sent. I was waiting for everyone to get here so we wouldn't have to do this more than once." Everyone in the room sits up a little straighter, the only noise coming from Maggie's sniffles.

"' _Dear Everyone,_

 _Don't worry, we're fine, but Jeremy is wounded. Single gunshot wound to the left shoulder. The bullet went straight through though, so Georgia's Doc says he'll be fine. Don't worry Mags, I'm keeping an eye on him._

 _Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of our unit. Four dead, six wounded, only one critical. Doc isn't sure if he'll ever walk again even if he does wake up. I'll enclose letters for the boys' families. Bass, I want you to deliver them personally. They were all good kids, better soldiers._

 _As for what happened, I blame Georgia. That idiot, Dixon, said we would be miles away from any enemy territory, but we were ambushed only four hours after setting up camp. Major Ryan Goodwin, sent by Foster personally, seems to think Dixon is simply stupid. I'm not so sure. This whole Georgia mess is starting to smell like Jason's feet after a summer day. For now, I'm not trusting any of them. I've got our boys keeping watch, discreetly, around the clock and I've been working on figuring out who runs this town with the hopes that they'll at least know who attacked us. We managed to take out eight of them before the rest ran off into the woods. I told the boys not make chase, we are in their territory after all so they know the terrain better._

 _Respectfully, as an officer of the Militia, I will perform my duties to the best of my ability. But as a your friend, I'm telling you that I am honestly lost. I'm six men down, seven if you count Jer, and have no clue where to start. Miles, I need you down here ASAP. Not just to help sort this shit out, but because the boys need to see that the bigwigs have their back._

 _Try not to hate me Charlie. You know if there were any other way I wouldn't ask, but I need him. I'll try to bring him back before the baby's due. Promise._

 _Julia, my angel, don't let Jason do anything crazy like running down here to help. With Miles out of the house his duty is there with the rest of the family._

 _Boy, listen to your mother._

 _Maggie, Jeremy is laying here watching me write this (heavily influenced by some sort of pain killers) and would like me to tell you that he loves you and misses your sock (whatever the hell that means.)_

 _Love you all,_

 _Tom and Jeremy'"_

The silence stands when he finishes reading the letter as everyone processes the information. Surprisingly, Charlie is the first to break it, her words directed at Miles.

"How soon can you be ready to leave?" She asks him.

Miles looks up at her words, clearly torn for what to do. "Charlie I don't have to go."

She gives him a bitter smile. "Yes you do. I had no right to ask you to stay in the first place. If I hadn't, Jeremy-"

"-Hey, you know the rules. We don't do what-ifs in this house," Miles tells her.

"I know. But still. Right now they need you more than I do."

Miles nods in agreement and slowly rises from his seat. "I can have everything ready and be on the road first thing in the morning."

Nora stands up next to him and gives his hand a quick squeeze. "I'll pack our stuff."

Catching her hand before she walks away, Miles turns Nora to face him. "You know I want nothing more than for you to come with me, but not this time. You're the VP now, they need you here."

For a minute it looks like she's going to argue, but Nora grinds her teeth and nods. "I'll pack your stuff then. You get your people ready."

She leaves the room in a hurry, followed by Maggie and Julia, then Jason and Danny, leaving Bass alone with Miles and Charlie. His wife is still sitting on the couch, her eyes slightly unfocused.

"This isn't fair," she says quietly.

Miles sighs and plops down next to her, wrapping her up in his arms. "I know Bug. But I'll be fine. Me and the guys will be back in no time."

She turns to him with a confused face that quickly turns into a smile. "No that's not what I meant. I mean, it's not fair that you have to leave either, but I was thinking about you and Nora."

"What do you mean?"

"You guys just found each other again. Your wedding is supposed to be in three weeks. It's not fair that you guys always seem to get ripped apart before you even really have the chance to be together. And she's been so excited about planning the wedding, finding a dress and writing her own vows, it just isn't fair that now she'll have to wait even longer."

Miles frowns, his eyes flitting closed. "Maybe she won't."

XxX

An hour and a half later, Charlie comes bustling into the living room with a vase of freshly picked wildflowers from the courtyard and sets it on the coffee table which has been relocated to the side of the room along with the rest of the furniture. Miles and Bass are both out of uniform, wearing dress pants and a nice shirt, and Charlie has changed into a nice blue shirt and a long skirt.

"Nora is raiding my closet for a dress. We hadn't had the chance to go shopping yet so it probably won't be white."

Miles shrugs and pulls nervously at his tie. "It doesn't matter. White is only for virgin brides anyway."

Charlie snorts and fixes his tie before moving on to fix her husband's. "Did Maddox manage to find a priest?"

"No but he did find an old judge from Connecticut, the guy ran home to change real quick."

"OK." Charlie looks around the room to make sure that everything is ready, stopping to rearrange some flowers and light a few candles before people start filing into the room. The judge, Julia, Maggie, Jason, and Danny all gather around where Bass and Miles have been told to stand.

"And the bride?" The judge asks with a smile.

"I'm going to check on her right now," Charlie says, though it's unnecessary as Nora enters the room in a dark red dress with a deep v-neck and one of Charlie's diamond necklaces dangling between her breasts. "Never mind," Charlie says with a grin.

Nora grins back and takes Charlie's hand, pulling the younger girl with her to where Miles is standing. He clears his throat loudly and says, "You look… nice."

"Sorry it's not white."

Miles shrugs. "We aren't the traditional type anyway."

As per his instructions, the judge keeps it short, only waiting half a second to see if anyone objects and then getting straight to the vows.

"Actually," Miles cuts across him. "We're gonna say our own, if you don't mind." Nora looks up at him in shock, causing him to smile shyly. "Charlie said you wanted to write your own."

"Well yeah, but-but we didn't have time to prepare or-"

"-I know, but you should at least get one thing you wanted for the wedding."

"You don't have to Miles," she says quietly, knowing how much he hates to speak in public.

"I know. I want to."

Nora smiles up at him and quickly blinks back tears. "Alright then."

They both look to the judge who turns to Miles in amusement. "The floor is all yours General."

"Uh, right." Miles clears his throat and shifts his weight from foot to foot. "Well, it's not so much a vow as it is a story," he says slowly.

Nora shrugs. "That's OK. We aren't really the traditional type any way." He huffs and takes her hands in his, seeming to take strength from her touch.

"Ten years ago, in this very room, I was sitting on that ugly old couch that Julia dragged in here and trying to read that stupid history book Bass is always talking about when Charlie comes crashing in like a tornado. She was going on and on about how she wanted me to meet someone, I figured it was just another stray cat, and then you came in. You were young and… well, you were hot. You still are. And I was old, I _am_ old, and stupid.

"I always knew you had a thing for me, even though I didn't understand why. I kept trying to push you away but you always managed to find your way back. It's one of the things I admire most about you. You never give up. No matter what I did, you were always right there. And no matter how many times I told myself to stay away from you, that you were too young or too good for me, I always found myself doing something stupid to try and impress you. Do you remember Baltimore?" He asks with a grin.

"Of course I do," Nora says, her smile even bigger than his.

"Yeah well, everyone thought that my lighting the entire watchtower on fire was some master strategic plan. Really I just thought you would think it was cool."

Everyone in the room laughs, even the judge, as Nora shakes her head in amusement. "That was the first time we kissed," she says softly.

Miles nods. "Yeah. I know it hasn't been easy for us, mostly because of me. I'm kind of a drunk and I'm a little grouchy, but I know now that pushing you away only makes me miserable. I need you, and I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep you by my side for the rest of my life."

A stray tear slides down Nora's cheek and she brushes it away impatiently, clearing her throat as she thinks about what to say. Eventually, she chuckles under her breath and says, "mine is kind of a story too."

"Good, we can match then," Miles says with a smile.

"You should have worn red too," Bass adds.

Miles turns to glare at his best man. "Will you shut up? I was quiet at your wedding." Bass holds his hands up in surrender, making Nora roll her eyes as she begins.

"Ten years ago, I asked Charlie to keep a secret. And I'm pretty sure it's the only one she's ever managed to actually keep."

When everyone looks confused, including Charlie, she continues. "I was alone in a new city, had no money and nothing to offer, I was scared and just trying to survive. Charlie caught me stealing food from a cart in the market, but instead of turning me in like I thought she would, she took my hand and told me to come home with her so I could meet, and I'm quoting here, 'the coolest guy ever.' Her uncle, General Miles Matheson.

"I was so… ashamed that I had stooped so low that I begged her not to tell you. She just smiled and said OK. Charlie has the biggest heart, and I know exactly where she gets it from. You. You may hide it under all of your drunken grouchiness, but I know you Miles Matheson. You're a good man, and I know that I can always count on you to be there for me. No matter how far I've tried to run, I always end up right back here with you, because that's where I belong."

Nora stops and looks around at everyone in the room. "With all of you. You're all my family. And I'm proud to be a part of it."

Looking back at Miles, she gives his hands a squeeze. "But I'm especially proud to be yours, grouchy drunk and all."

Miles huffs a laugh, his eyes shining with unshed tears as he pulls her close to kiss her.

"Whoa, hang on a second!" The judge says quickly, making Miles step back like a scolded schoolboy. The judge grins and says, "by the power vested in me by the former state of Connecticut, I know pronounce you man and wife. _Now_ you can kiss the bride."

Not waiting to be told again, Miles grabs Nora and pulls her to him, kissing her deeply while the boys whistle cat calls and yell "get a room!"

A lot of hugs go around and quite a few drinks over the next half hour, but eventually Miles pulls Nora away from the crowd with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Well, as much as I would love to stay and celebrate with you guys, I would much rather go celebrate with my wife."

Nora's only response is to throw her head back and laugh, allowing her husband to pull her from the room.

* * *

A/N Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you have a minute. :-)


	41. Chapter 41

_Somewhere in Kentucky…_

Miles absently twists the band around his finger as their convoy makes its way steadily South. They hadn't had the rings for the ceremony, but Charlie had somehow managed to find some before he left the next morning. They don't match, Nora's is a silver ring with a red stone setting, and his own is a simple gold band. But that's OK as far as he's concerned. Matching is overrated anyway.

Hopefully, Tom will have managed to figure out what's going on before he gets to Tennessee and then all he'll have to do is clean up the mess and go home to his waiting wife.

 _Georgia Federation Garrison, Union City, Tennessee…_

"You need some help?"

"Nah, I got it," Jeremy answers gruffly, attempting to pull his uniform jacket over his injured shoulder.

Rolling his eyes, Tom snatches the jacket from his hands and helps him gently ease it on.

"Thanks," Jeremy mutters, his discomfort with the whole situation completely obvious.

Tom shrugs noncommittally, not wanting to cause any upset to his friend's already fragile state. Wanting to change the subject, he asks, "so what do you think about Goodwin?"

Jeremy tilts his head in thought, then shrugs one shoulder. "He's alright I guess. Seems pretty full of himself though."

"I thought so too," Tom agrees.

Major Ryan Goodwin, one of President Foster's handpicked officers, had made a point to drop by the hospital and wish Jeremy well after Tom chewed him out on the street for getting some of his men killed.

"But I also think he's covering for Dixon, " Tom adds as an afterthought. "The idiot hasn't shown his face since he gave us that bad intel and Goodwin has only mentioned him enough to say that there's an ongoing investigation. Whatever they have going on, I don't like it."

Jeremy nods in agreement. "What about the mayor, didn't you have lunch with him yesterday? Did he give us anything to go on?"

"Not really. He did admit that they've been having trouble with war clans from the Plains, but other than that he didn't give me much. I got the feeling that he was told not to give away too much information."

Jeremy raises his eyebrows in surprise. "You think Kelly's trying to hide something from us?"

Tom considers this for a moment, but shakes his head. "No. She and the boys get along well, and she and Charlie get on even better. I don't think this about trying to do us any harm, at least not directly, I think she's probably just trying to keep her problems in house so we can't see just how bad it's gotten around here."

"How bad do you think it is?" Jeremy asks.

"Too soon to say."

Jeremy rolls his eyes in amusement. Tom is always analyzing and over analyzing people's moves and motivations. To him, life is just a big chess board. "You'll let me know if I start towards dangerous subjects, right?"

Tom chuckles. "Yeah, Jer. I've got your back."

 _Philadelphia, Pennsylvania_

Despite the unbearably hot weather, Charlie is actually feeling quite pleased with herself. She's been taking a basket of rolls down to the shelter everyday this week, and today she even has a crate of early apples that a kind farmer in the market decided to donate. But while his generosity is something to be admired, the shelter is going to need something more sustaining for the long term. Perhaps a small garden out front. That might even help the men and women who rely on the shelter for sustenance, giving them a job to do.

Well, maybe not all of them. So far the man she tried to speak with on her first visit has yet to even acknowledge her presence. She'd asked Maggie if maybe he has some sort of brain damage, but the doctor seems more inclined to believe he's simply withdrawn into himself as a coping mechanism. Her only advice was to be persistent.

So, as she has everyday for the past week, Charlie passes out her rolls and lets the talkative ones tire themselves out before going to sit next to her new friend. She sees Maddox roll his eyes, he thinks her attempts are a waste of time, but she takes her seat anyway. As usual he takes no notice of her, his eyes glued to the world outside the window. Charlie takes a moment to study the view, committing the three trees and seven bushes to memory before turning back to her new friend.

"So you like nature?" She asks.

No response.

She peers back outside, noting the cracked sidewalk and various piles of mess left behind by the horses traveling on the road. The pre-blackout storefronts across the street have since been converted into homes for those who can't afford anything better. Children in raggedy hand-me-downs play in the street.

"Do you have any children?" Charlie asks tentatively, her hand automatically moving to her belly. She smile fondly down at her unborn child, then looks to the man for any sign a breakthrough.

Nothing.

Charlie sighs. She's long since given up on being frustration with the man, seeing as how it didn't get her anywhere, and has moved on to sadness, though she isn't exactly sure why. This man is a complete stranger. Even Evelyn, the woman that runs the shelter, hasn't heard him speak since he arrived three months ago. But for some reason she can't seem to bring herself to walk away. Aside from the obvious malnourishment and lack of hygiene, there's something in his face that finds familiar. It's an odd feeling, one that strikes hard into old memories of tent cities and reading circles around an oak tree and playing soldier while Miles and Bass taught the other to actually _be_ soldiers.

Maybe it's not his face that feels familiar, but the emotion on it. Or lack thereof, in this case. And then it hits her. _Bass._ She has seen this blank stare before. Many years ago, after losing his wife and unborn child, Bass spent weeks as a hollowed out version of himself. Perhaps this man staring at the window has lost everything as well. Her heart suddenly aches for this man that she doesn't even know, the same way it did for Bass when she was young. Charlie reaches out with a gentle hand and gives his fingers a squeeze.

"You're going to come home with me today and meet my family." She doesn't wait for a response, knowing she won't get one. "And don't worry, you can stay with us for a while. We have plenty of room to spare."

It takes quite of bit of pleading on her part - to get Maddox to agree to this crazy plan - but she eventually just flat out orders him to get the man into the wagon so they can take him home. The man needs less convincing. A little coaxing and a nudge in the right direction and he allows himself to be led outside and into the wagon without incident. Out in the sun, Charlie has to squint at the brightness of his pale skin. He's even pastier than Miles. There's no change in him as they cross town back to Independence Hall, his eyes fixed on a point far ahead of them, though they do draw a small crowd as they pull up in front of the house.

The guards on duty are wary

of the seemingly mentally ill guy that their First Lady has brought home and Maddox isn't very helpful with his gruff attitude. Charlie glares at him.

"You don't have to be so rude," she whispers harshly as he helps her down from the wagon.

He scoffs. "Well excuse me for not being excited about having to tell my boss I let his wife bring home a pet crazy person."

Charlie shakes her head at him, anger flaring up in her chest. "I'll deal with Bass, you just worry about doing your job."

She take hold of the man's hand and leads him inside, leaving poor Maddox to trail after them sheepishly.

XxX

 _Of course he was right though,_ Charlie broods to herself as she sits on the living room couch watching her husband pace back and forth. For the last forty minutes he's been going on and on about how dangerous it is to invite strangers to live in their house. She has yet to point out that Ben, Rachel, and Danny were essentially strangers when they moved in. Or that Frank Blanchard and Kelly Foster were hardly old friends when they first started coming to visit. Bass doesn't like to be interrupted mid-rant, plus it's been nearly three weeks since he's had a drop of alcohol in his system. Probably best to just let him be.

"... might be a serial killer for all we know! What if he attack you and hurts the baby? What if he attacks anyone in the house? That guy is unstable Charlie, I thought we agreed that having unstable people in the house when the baby gets here is out of the question. That's why we made Rachel move out!"

Rubbing her head, Charlie looks up at him at a loss for what to say. "But he looked so lost," she finally says.

Bass' shoulders slump as the fight goes out of him and he joins her on the couch. "I know you're just trying to help him, and I love that about you, it's just that right now isn't the best time with Miles gone and you being pregnant, and I'm trying to do my job and Miles' job at the same time."

"I know," Charlie admits softly. "But does that really justify turning away someone who really needs our help? Just because it's an inconvenient time?"

Sighing, Bass takes one of her hand in both of his and kisses her palm. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?" He asks, his lips still pressed against her skin. Charlie shakes her head.

"Alright. He can stay," Bass says.

"Really?" Charlie asks, a smile already breaking out across her face at having gotten what she wanted.

Bass rolls his eyes, knowing that he never really stood a chance to begin with. "Yeah, he can stay. Just keep him downstairs and don't let him go roaming around. I don't want any rumors about a crazy guy in the capital getting out."

Charlie nods obediently, making him chuckle. "You've already got him set up in a room, don't you?"

She grins, kissing him swiftly on the lips. "You know me so well."


	42. Chapter 42

_Georgia Federation Garrison, Union City, Tennessee…_

Even though everyone in Georgia wears those ugly green uniforms, it still takes Miles twenty minutes of wandering around the Garrison before he finally finds a blue uniform in the sea of green. The young man recognizes him immediately and stands at attention.

"General Matheson, sir!"

Despite all the years that have passed, he still grimaces at the title. "Where are Captains Baker and Neville?"

"In command, sir. Come on, I'll show you the way."

Miles lets the kid lead him through a maze of tents and poorly constructed shacks, finally stopping at nicer looking log cabin with two Georgian soldiers standing guard out front. Before they can even ask who he is, the door of the cabin flings open, letting Tom and Jeremy fight over who gets to greet him first.

"Miles!" Jeremy nearly trips over one of the guard's feet in his haste to reach him, throwing his good arm around him without the slightest hesitation. "Man, am I glad you're here," he says with a grin.

Looking over Jeremy's shoulder, Miles chuckles as Tom rolls his eyes. "Yes Captain Baker," he drawls in an important voice. "The General has come just in time to speak with Major Goodwin about the situation at the border."

Jeremy abruptly lets him go, his face schooling into a professional look. "Right. Uh, Major Goodwin has been waiting to meet you."

Rolling his eyes, Miles pats Jeremy's uninjured shoulder and slides past him towards the cabin door, whispering in his ear on his way by. "Nice to see you too, Jer."

A man not much older than himself is standing looking over a table covered with maps as a few younger soldiers move around him, apparently fetching whatever things he asks for. Obviously, he's the one in charge here. His dark hair is cut close to his head but the grays still show, and the deep lines in his face are hard to miss. Miles approaches him with outward confidence, perfected with years of practice, and smirks when the boy fetching the leader's water glass drops it on the floor in shock.

"Carter! What the hell are you doing?" The man in charge barks. "Clean that up."

"Yes, s-sir," the boy stutters, shuffling away from the scene.

The older man goes back to his maps, grumbling to himself. "Fucking kids. How am I supposed to deal with Matheson with all these stupid brats running around?"

Grinning with amusement, Miles puts on his best cocky smile, channeling his inner Bass, and sighs wistfully. "I remember when our guys used to come out like that. Personally, I've found that encouragement actually works better than treating them like dogs."

The man turns to glare at him, his eyes taking in his face - which he no doubt recognizes - and his travel worn uniform with a steady glare. "How the Georgia Federation trains it's soldiers is no business of yours," he spits.

Miles cocks an eyebrow at him, his amusement fading into annoyance. "Isn't that why I'm here though? Georgia's incompetent training has resulted in you guys needing the Militia's help solving _your_ problems."

The man puffs out an angry breath, his face turning a faint shade of red. "You have no idea what you're-"

"-Enough." Miles growls, surpassing irritated and going straight to angry. "You idiots are the reason I'm here and not back home with my wife. So let's just forget this little conversation and get this over with. Who keeps attacking your people and where do I find them?"

"We don't actually know yet," the man answers through clenched teeth.

Taking a deep breath, Miles approaches the table and turns to Tom. "Sit Rep."

"No leads on the previous border attacks or the attack on our people," Tom says. "But I believe there is someone who could help us."

Frowning, Miles asks, "Then why haven't you questioned him already?"

"The Georgians are refusing us access, sir." Jeremy says.

He can tell by the looks on both of his friend's faces that this is the real reason he's been called to Tennessee. Tom and Jeremy know exactly who they need to talk to, they just need him to get them there.

Turning back to the man in charge, Miles gives him an expectant look. The man merely glares back, as if daring him to question the ban. A small smile pulls at Miles' lips as he asks, "Well? Where is this S.O.B? I want to talk to him."

The other man bristles. "I don't take orders from militia scum, especially not their commander."

After weeks of traveling, having to leave behind his very pregnant daughter, and having his honeymoon cut short, Miles is has had enough. He stands up to his full height, towering over the other man, and speaks in a low voice.

"You have five minutes to produce the man my Captain wants to question, or this scum commander will rip your eyeballs out of your head with his bare hands."

The man scoffs, though visibly pales. "You can't touch me. You are outnumbered here."

"True," Miles says lightly, moving to rest against the side of the table. "But me and my boys here have been working together for a long time. Even with Jer's shoulder out, I guarantee no less than thirty of your men would die before you even managed to scratch us." He gives the man a wicked grin, catching Tom and Jeremy both smirking out of the corner of his eye.

"And what if I think thirty men is an acceptable loss?" The man asks.

"Then you're an even worse leader than I thought, which trust me, makes you really bad."

"Four minutes left, Major Goodwin. I suggest you use them wisely." Tom adds.

Goodwin growls low in his throat and turns to the boy that had dropped the glass of water. "Take General Matheson and his men to the holding tent and tell Lieutenant O'Conner that I said they're to see Dixon." Carter nods quickly and gestures for them to follow him out of the cabin.

Once out of earshot of the cabin, Jeremy leans close and says, "Tear his eyes out with your hands. Really?"

"Too much?" Miles asks.

Tom chuckles under his breath, checking behind them to make sure no one is listening before saying, "Nah, it was perfect."

"Good. Now one of you explain to me why we're questioning Dixon. The guy's an idiot."

"We know," Jeremy says. "But Dixon is the one that told us it would be safe to set up camp where we were ambushed."

"You think it was a setup? That Dixon is working with whoever's been attacking Georgia?" Miles asks.

"It makes sense," Tom says. "It would explain why Georgia has been keeping him in holding and not letting us speak to him. Maybe they finally realized he's their mole."

Carter stops them in front of a particularly shabby looking shack and has a quick word with the guards, who immediately step aside to allow them access. Miles follows Tom into the shack with hopes that he's right and that they've found their Georgia problem.

* * *

A/N *Hangs head in shame* I know it's been forever since I posted anything. Honestly, today is the first time I've written anything in weeks. I had to go back and read the last couple chapters just to figure out what was even going on in my own story. This is short, but I wanted to get something up so you guys would know that I'm at least alive. I also owe SparrowHawk an apology because I told her this would be up like a week ago, so sorry! :D As for the future, I'm planning to wrap up whatever loose ends this story has (meaning Georgia's issues, the mystery homeless guy, and Charlie's pregnacy) and finally put this one to bed. I think I've let it draw out long enough, right? :-) I can't thank you guys enough for sticking with me and reading.

PS So I thought I posted this last week... But when I came back to read it so I could start the next chapter it wasn't there... I don't know what happened. Apologies for the unnecessary wait.


	43. Chapter 43

_Independence Hall, Philadelphia_

Though there's no word yet from Tennessee, Bass is confident that Miles has at least reached Jeremy and Tom by now. The three of them are probably sorting out the problem at this very moment and already discussing the journey home. Or at least, he hopes they are.

As supportive as Charlie was of Miles going on this trip, she hasn't been the same since he left. She's been sleeping even more than usual and avoiding contact with just about everyone. The only place he can ever seem to find his wife, is the library. Which is where he finds her now. Curled up on the loveseat with a book lying open on the armrest. He approaches her quietly so he doesn't wake her and crouches down next to her, resting his hand gently on her stomach. The baby is still right now, something that would scare him to death if he didn't know first hand that the baby seems to think the middle of the night is play time. He's woken up several nights in a row now to find Charlie pacing their bedroom, vainly trying to convince their child that it was bedtime.

Charlie shifts in her sleep, her arm draping over her belly, unconsciously protective of him/her. Bass can't help but smile at that. Until recently, he'd simply been happy to worry about getting his wife and child through the pregnancy alive, but the impending responsibilities of fatherhood have him even more worried than proposing to Charlie ever did. But there's no doubt in his mind that Charlie will be an amazing mother. She's been taking care of he and Miles for years. For her, a baby should be no problem.

She shifts again, her fingertips brushing against his own, causing a frown to appear on her face, though it quickly disappears as she's lulled further into sleep. Smiling, Bass presses a gentle kiss to her stomach and another to her temple before grabbing a blanket from a nearby chair to cover her up with.

 _Just a few more weeks,_ he tells himself. Though he knows that it could be any day now. Maggie has the entire house on high alert. Birthing instructions have been given to every maid and soldier in the house just in case they are needed when the time comes. He's sat through a number of these instructional classes, but he still can't seem to wrap his head around the idea of his wife pushing another person out of her vagina. He happens to know that part of her quite intimately, thank you very much. So how is the baby supposed to fit through there?

He's drawn from his musings by movement out of the corner of his eye. Having thought they were alone in the library, Bass moves around a nearby bookshelf only to find his wife's houseguest, the man from the homeless shelter, sitting in a chair in front of the window. He shifts around in the chair to a more comfortable position then remains still, his eyes glued to the world outside the window as the autumn leaves fall to the ground.

"Hey, how's it going?" Bass asks, though he knows it's pointless. He's made several attempts to talk to their guest over the past week but it hasn't gotten him anywhere. The man doesn't even move, his eyes lost in something Bass can't see. "Forget it," Bass grumbles to himself as he leaves the library. But he stops in the doorway, hesitating on leaving his wife alone with this unknown man, unknown threat.

"Hey, you OK?" Jason asks, popping up behind him from seemingly nowhere.

Bass gives him a look of surprise, but forgives the sneakiness so he can voice the concerns bouncing around in his head. "I just don't like that guy being around. Especially when Charlie's asleep." He motions to the doorway and Jason peers inside, a small frown forming on his face.

"I hear what you're saying Bass, but I really don't think that guy is anything to worry about. All he does is sit around. I don't think he's going to start attacking people."

"Maybe that's exactly what he wants us to think," Bass says in a low voice. "What if this whole thing is just an act so he can-"

"-So he can what, Bass? Kill us all?" Jason says disbelievingly. "He's had plenty of opportunities to hurt Charlie, Danny, me, even you. He's harmless."

Bass grinds his teeth together in an angry pout, knowing full well that Jason is right. "Well I don't like it," he says stubbornly. "I want eyes on this guy 24/7, got it?"

Jason sighs, but nods in agreement. "Yes, sir."

His use of the term 'sir' is so unusual that Bass stops to consider the tired look on Jason's face. "Is everything OK with you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

A beat of silence passes and Bass says, "no you aren't."

Jason shakes his head slightly, but gives him a wry smile. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You've got bigger things to worry about." He tilts his head in Charlie's direction.

Bass looks from Jason, to his wife, and back to Jason. "Yeah, but she'd never forgive me if she found out I didn't try to help her best friend when he needed it."

Jason chuckles. "You're probably right."

"You know I'm right. So what's up?"

"It's nothing, really. Just that Danny's been staying at his mom's house for the past few days, so..." He shoots Bass a sideways glance and says quietly, "it's kind of hard to sleep when-"

"-When you're used to sharing the bed." Bass finishes for him. Jason blushes a light shade of pink, causing Bass to laugh. "Don't be embarrassed. When we first moved into Independence Hall, I was so used to sharing a tent with Miles and Charlie that I didn't sleep for a week. I kept sneaking out of my room to check on them and kept finding Miles sleeping on the floor in Charlie's bedroom. I usually stayed with him." He admits with a smile.

Jason laughs, his head tilting to the side in thought. "You know, I actually remember that. Charlie always just said you guys were having sleepovers."

Bass chuckles. "Yeah, even at ten Charlie was trying to cover up the fact that me and Miles were just big babies."

Bass studies Jason's face for a moment, noting that he hasn't seemed to ease the younger man's worry. "Why don't you just go stay with Danny?" He suggests.

But Jason's frown merely deepens, his brown eyes looking hurt. "I tried. I got the impression that I wasn't welcome."

"From Danny?" Bass asks.

"No, not Danny," Jason assures him. "I just got the feeling that Rachel doesn't really approve of her son being with, you know, a man."

Understanding dawns on Bass and his heart breaks for Jason. He's known the man since he was just a little boy, having been inseparable from Charlie, and thinks of him as family. But Bass also knows Rachel, and he has a feeling this problem isn't at all what it seems.

"Jason, I know you think that people whisper behind your back about you and Danny, but they don't. And honestly, I bet Rachel's problem with you has less to do with your gender rather than your occupation."

Understanding flickers in Jason's eyes and he shakes his head in disbelief. "She doesn't like me because I work for you."

Bass nods, making Jason growl in frustration. "What is her problem? You know, if she even took five minutes to get to know her own daughter, she would know that Charlie is happy with you. Why is she so convinced that that's impossible?"

"I wish I knew," Bass says quietly. The two men stand in silence for a moment before Bass rests a hand on Jason's shoulder. "You know that everyone here loves you, right? There isn't a single person in this house that questions whether or not you belong. If there were, I would've fired them already."

Jason shakes his head at him. "Yeah, OK."

"I'm serious, Jason. And as far as Rachel goes, just wait it out. Danny knows his mom's a quack, he won't stay long."

Jason nods, a grateful smile forming on his face. "Thanks Bass."

Clapping him on the shoulder, Bass steers Jason into the library. "Don't mention it. Now keep an eye on our girl. If that weirdo tries anything, shoot him."

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Jason gives him a half hearted salute and says, "Yes, sir."

 _Meanwhile in Tennessee…_

Former Captain Dixon of the Georgia Federation is shackled to a chair in the rundown shack that passes for a holding area. Miles, Tom, and Jeremy file in around him, watching him tense up as he recognizes their faces.

"Bet you didn't think you'd see us again, " Jeremy says casually.

"Yeah, I bet you thought we'd be maggot food by now. Isn't that right, Dixon?" Tom asks as he slowly advances on the man.

"No, please, you have to believe me. I-"

"-You what?" Miles asks, sliding into Dixon's view. The man's face goes white at the sight of the feared General, his breathing coming in sharp gasps even though no one's laid a hand on him.

"Please," he whines. "I didn't know. I thought that area would be safe, I swear."

Miles turns to look at Tom and Jeremy with mock understanding. "Oh, well, he swears he didn't know, so I guess that's it. Huh guys?"

"Yeah, I guess." Jeremy says, turning to Tom who smiles deviously.

"Yep, nothing to see here."

They both look back to Miles with amused expressions. "Well, guess we'll see you later boss." Jeremy says as they move to exit the tent.

"Later," Miles says over his shoulder, his eyes dark with anger as he advances on Dixon shackled to his chair.

Fear of being left alone with the General wins out, and Dixon all but shouts, "Wait! Wait, don't leave me with him!"

Tom back tracks just enough to sneer at Dixon, his eyes full of hatred but his voice light and airy. "But I thought you didn't have anything to say?"

Dixon hesitates, his eyes flicking from face to face as he realizes he's been caught in their trap. "I-I don't," he says in a shaky voice.

"Well then I guess we'll see you later," Jeremy says in a falsely cheery voice. "Or, not see you, if that makes sense." He gestures to Miles who fingers the hilt of his sword lovingly, watching Dixon's eyes bulge.

"Oh God! I don't want to die!" Dixon whines to no one in particular.

"Then start talking," Tom tells him.

Dixon swallows thickly. "Can I-can I get some water first?"

"Talk first, then water." Jeremy says.

"If we like what you have to say," Miles adds.

Dixon's jaw clenches as he struggles with words. He looks around at them desperately, his eyes wide with fear. "Please, it doesn't matter now anyway. They'll kill me if I talk."

Miles stands up straight, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, 'it doesn't matter now'?"

Dixon stares up at him, his voice pleading. "They'll kill me," he whimpers.

Miles grabs the arms of the chair he's sitting in and shakes it roughly, his face inches from Dixon's. "Tell me!"

"It's too late! Just let it go!"

"Too late for what?" Miles asks as dread fills his gut. "What are we to late for?"

"They'll kill me," Dixon whimpers again.

Miles shakes the chair again, growling in his face. "If you don't tell me then _I will kill you."_

A voice comes from the door of the shack, Major Goodwin coming to check in on them. "Hey, you can't threaten my prisoners like that!"

But Miles merely grips the front of Dixon's shirt and yanks until they're nose to nose. "Talk."

Goodwin moves towards him like he intends to pull Miles away, but Tom and Jeremy both stop him with their hands on their guns.

"You wouldn't dare," Goodwin snarls.

"Oh, I would." Tom says.

"Happily," Jeremy adds.

Dixon's eyes flicker toward Goodwin, who obviously won't be helping him, before settling back on Miles' angry brown eyes.

"Philadelphia," he finally whispers.

"What about it?" Miles asks forcefully. Dixon shakes his head, not wanting to answer, so Miles grips his hair and yanks his head back, exposing his neck as he puts his knife to his pale skin. "What about Philly?" Miles demands.

"You're wasting your time," Dixon gasps. "It'll be gone by the time you get back anyway."

The room falls silent as Miles, Tom, and Jeremy all stare at each other.

"What do you mean?" Jeremy asks when he finally finds his voice.

Dixon sighs, resigned to his fate. "Philadelphia as you know it will be gone in two weeks time."

"How?" Tom asks.

"She's planning a coup. Waiting for the new moon so they can move under the cover of darkness."

"Wait a sec," Jeremy says slowly. "She? Who is this bitch?"

Dixon looks carefully at each of their faces before saying, "Duncan. Duncan Page."


	44. Chapter 44

"Miles, hang on a second! Where are you going?" Jeremy jogs to catch up with him, Tom just behind, and grabs Miles' shoulder, spinning him around to face him.

"We have to get word back Philly so Bass can be ready!" He rubs his hands over his face and into his hair, pulling at it angrily. "God, I'm so stupid! How did I not see this coming? This whole thing was Duncan's plan. She made a mess of shit down in Georgia so I would leave Philly undefended and she could take over!"

Tom and Jeremy both stare at him, their eyes reflecting his own fear. "But it isn't undefended," Jeremy finally says. "Bass is home."

Miles scoffs, and then immediately feels bad about it. "And if it weren't for the fact that Charlie is due any day now, I would agree with you. But at the moment the only thing Bass is good for is snack fetching and foot rubs." Silence falls between them for a few moments before he says, "Come on. We've got to get home."

They stop at the tent that passes for their communications center and Miles writes two quick letters. The first is for whoever the Georgian messenger manages to reach in Frankfurt, instructions to deliver the second letter to Philadelphia as soon as possible. Preferably before their two week time limit is up. It's a tall order, but Miles has seen their men do more with less.

The second letter is really their only hope.

 _Bass or Charlie or Nora or whoever is in charge whenever this gets to Philly,_

 _Get out. Duncan's planned a coup. If she's already made her move when you get this, I hope you're safe, and I'll meet you at the spot. You know the one. If she hasn't moved yet, set condition teddy bear and we'll be home as soon as we can._

 _Miles, Jer, and Tom_

"Still don't know why we decided to call it teddy bear," Jeremy comments as Miles seals the letter and hands it to the messenger.

"Because Miles was to much of a softie to tell Charlie no," Tom says amusedly.

"It's a code name," Miles says defensively, as the messenger gives the three of them a funny look. "It's not supposed to make sense!"

The messenger makes a _whatever you say_ face and stuffs the two letters into his bag before taking off.

All jokes aside, Miles, Tom, and Jeremy are well aware of what's at stake. They're also aware that there's no way they'll be home in time to do anyone in Philly any good.

"If we ride hard and only stop for a few hours to rest, we could make it home in time." Jeremy says seriously.

"And kill the horses?" Tom asks, though they get the feeling that the horses aren't really on his priority list.

Miles shakes his head at them both because they're both right, and he doesn't want them to be. "We'll ride hard, but we're gonna have to walk to so the horses can have a break."

Jeremy begins to untie his horse from its post, his mouth set in a grim line. "We still aren't going to make it."

Miles swings himself up onto his horse and immediately spurs it into motion away from others, not waiting for them to catch up. "Yeah. I know."

 _Philadelphia, one week later…_

"Any word from Miles yet?" Charlie asks as Bass enters their bedroom. He shakes his head and sheds his uniform, climbing into the bed next to her with a tired sigh.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine." He tells his worried wife.

Charlie frowns at him, her eyes searching his tired face. "What aren't you talking me?"

Bass opens his mouth to defend himself but thinks better of it and says, "a messenger came from the Ohio border today. He said that there's an unidentified clan making their way East."

"They wouldn't come here," Charlie says easily. "No one's _that_ dumb."

Chuckling, Bass pulls her closer to him and wraps an arm around her, kissing her softly on the lips. "I hope you're right," he whispers.

"When have I ever been wrong?"

XxX

With Charlie safely out of earshot, Bass turn to Nora with a worried expression. "Another messenger just left. Over 1,000 guys are headed straight for Philly and they've already torn through Cincinnati and Pittsburgh." He sighs, running his hand over his face. "The count is at 412, but Pittsburgh hasn't had enough time to go through all the wreckage yet."

Nora takes a deep breath and shakes her head. "They took down Cincinnati? Really?"

Bass nods. "Miles is gonna be pissed when he finds out. He had that place set up like a goddamn fortress."

"What do you want to do?" Nora asks. After a few minutes of silence she finally says, "Bass, we can't let these guys reach Philly. If they make it to the capital then the Republic is as good as gone."

"I know," Bass says quietly.

"And the longer we let them March towards us the more men they'll pick up. By the time they get here there could be-"

"-I know!" Bass shouts. He huffs in frustration and starts pacing back and forth. "But are we supposed to do? Our three best military leaders are in Georgia right now, and even if we sent a letter, there's no way it would reach them in time."

"I could go," Jason suggests from the doorway. Bass and Nora both stare at him for a moment, having not even noticed him come in. But Jason seems to take their silence as something negative. "I know I'm not Miles or my dad when it comes to leading and strategizing, but I can at least take the fight to them and keep the clan out of the city long enough for them to get home."

Bass shakes his head slowly. "No, I need you here. This house is the base of our entire government. I need my best man keeping watch over it."

Jason's eyes widen just a fraction as Bass' words wash over him. He stands up a little straighter and nods. "Yes, sir."

Nora gives Bass a weak smile. "OK, but then what about the thousands of people headed our way? I mean, I'm good, but I'm not that good. I've only been Vice President for a few months and the General's wife for a few weeks, there's no way the militia is going to follow me into a war."

"I know," Bass says tiredly, his eyes scanning the map of the Republic on the table. "That's why I have to go."

Silence falls on the room before Nora bursts out, "Are you nuts?"

"You can't go! You're the President and Charlie's gonna have the baby any day now." Jason says.

"But it's like you said," Bass says calmly. "I'm the President. It's my duty to defend our people."

"Bass someone else can go. The Republic cannot afford to lose you right now," Nora says. "And I didn't even want to be the Vice President, if something happens to you I'll have to be _the actual President_. I don't want to be President."

Bass waves his hand dismissively. "Everyone knows you only took the job to give Charlie a break for the baby. When she's ready, Charlie will be a great president."

"Oh, so you're going to make her a single mother, a widow, and a president all in one?"

His face falls for a second, but Bass picks himself right back up. "That's only worst case scenario. We don't even know what we're really up against yet. And with you and Jason to help her, Charlie will be fine. She's strong."

"No one should have to carry that much weight Bass," Jason says.

He looks over at the younger man, knowing that he's right but also knowing that there's no other way. "That's why she has two of her best friends to help her."

Nora glares up at him, her disapproval palpable. "Charlie will _never_ go along with this."

Bass opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off by his wife's voice. "Oh good, so you guys were planning on including me _eventually."_

Bass reluctantly meets her eyes, finding them surprisingly clear of emotion.

"How much did you hear?" He asks her.

"Enough."

"And what's your take?"

Charlie crosses her arms over chest, putting more emphasis on her rounded belly. "I'm surprised you even care," she says icily.

Bass sighs. "I didn't want to include you until it was absolutely necessary."

"Gee, thanks."

"You know that's not what I meant, Charlie." She says nothing, and that's when he knows that it's over. No matter how much they all hate it, he has to be the one to go. He crosses the room to stand in front of her, taking her hands in his own. "I won't be gone long, just try to keep that baby in there a little longer."

She nods her head stiffly, trying valiantly to keep any tears at bay. "You've got three days Sebastian Monroe, and if you're not home by then I'll come out there and drag you home myself."

Smiling in spite of the situation, Bass kisses her gently, memorizing the feel of her soft lips against his own. "I'd pay to see that," he whispers.

She snorts a laugh and pulls him close, sealing her lips over his own in a desperate kiss. He pulls away, setting his forehead against hers. "Don't you dare make me raise this baby alone," she whispers.

"Not gonna happen."

Nodding stiffly again, Charlie wipes away her tears and steps aside. "Then go."

"And make it quick," Jason adds. "I don't want to have to chase Charlie into the middle of a battlefield if you miss your three day deadline."

"Chase? She's as big as a house, I don't think Charlie's going to be running anywhere." Nora adds.

Charlie scowls at her two friends. "Just you wait, I won't be pregnant forever."

As she leaves the room, Jason looks over at Nora. "She was threatening you, right?"

Bass shakes his head head in amusement as he leaves the room to prepare his men. It's been ten years since he's had to leave Philadelphia for this type of mission, and he realizes that he hasn't missed it one bit.

* * *

A/N Thank you guys for reading and reviewing, it's always appreciated. I only went through this to check for errors once so it's probably awful and I apologize, but I wanted to get this up before I left for work. :D


	45. Chapter 45

"He's late."

"I know."

"He promised he'd be back in three days."

"I know, Charlie." Nora says patiently, watching her friend waddle back and forth across the floor in the President's office.

The younger woman takes a deep, steadying breath. "What do we do?" She asks, her voice almost childlike as she worries for her family.

Nora rises from her seat and wraps a comforting arm around her. "We wait."

 _Somewhere in Kentucky,_

 _Four days before Duncan's planned attack…_

With Tom sleeping soundly on his left and Jeremy snoring softly on his right, Miles continues to stare at the stars above him as he has been for the past several hours. Despite how exhausted he is, sleep refuses to come. They've been practically on the run for the past ten days, only stopping to piss and sleep for four or five hours every night. There's dust and dirt caked into the wrinkles of his face and his clothes are so dirty they're stiff, but they keep moving.

The knowledge that Duncan Page will be descending on his home any day now, where his wife and daughter, best friend and impending grandchild all believe they are safe, gnaws away at him. When the lights went out eighteen years ago and Charlie lost everything except for those two dumb Marines she had wrapped around her finger, he'd promised himself that if all he ever did for her was protect her, then that would be enough. But now he can't even manage that.

Miles grinds his teeth together, blinking back the tears of failure in his eyes. All Charlie has ever done is love and trust him, but now, when she needs him more than ever, he won't be there. It cuts him deep. Worse than having Rachel thrown back in his face after nearly twenty years and ten times worse than having Nora hit him with a frying pan.

He's done a lot of bad things in his life. Pissed off a lot of people. But he's never truly failed Charlie.

Until now.

 _Somewhere near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Route 76…_

If it weren't for the imminent doom, Bass might actually be enjoying this little outdoors trip with Maddox and the rest of his crew, plus the 300 something men following them on horseback. Nora had objected to him only taking 300 men to defend Philadelphia, but Charlie had backed him up. The clan has 1,000 men on foot ready to fight. Against 300 trained soldiers on horseback, it should be a pretty even match.

Again, if it weren't for the dire circumstances, he might be excited to see how their Militia would measure up against some competition. But seeing as how they'll most likely lose half of these men in the battle, he isn't really looking forward to it.

Not to mention the fact that he's gone and missed his deadline. Charlie had generously given him three days to deal with the clan and come home, but due to some misdirection, it's already day three and they haven't even met the clan yet. Maddox is blaming the messenger for getting his directions mixed up, but Bass has a growing sense of dread in his stomach that this fight isn't at all what it seems. There's some new obstacle at every turn and the enemy always seems to be just out of reach. It's too difficult. No group of people that big can move so quickly, especially not on foot.

This whole thing is starting to feel like a setup.

"Sir, is everything alright?" Maddox asks when he notices the thoughtful look on his commander's face.

"This doesn't feel right," Bass murmurs.

Maddox nods. "I was starting to think the same thing," he says quietly. They look at each other, then nod.

"I'll take North. You go south. Round back East and meet me back on the highway," Bass tells him.

Bass recognizes the hesitation on Maddox's face. After six years of being the head of the President's personal guard, the idea of letting him walk into a potentially dangerous situation alone must be insane.

"Don't worry," Bass tells him with a grin, "I'm sure Charlie will forgive you for letting me get killed."

"I doubt it, sir."

"Maybe not right away," he says with a shrug.

Maddox smiles and then turns serious again. "If I don't see you in the next four hours I'm tearing this forest apart to find you. I will not return to my post without my President."

Bass nods, moved by the loyalty this man has shown. "You're a good man, Owen. If I don't make it back… just make sure Charlie knows…"

And then it hits him. The reality that he may never see her again. His beautiful Charlie with her long blonde hair and big blue eyes, and that snarky attitude that drives him crazy but makes him smile at the same time. He may never know their child's face or hold them in his arms. Feel the weight of their body in his hands or the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Until now, he hadn't been willing to let himself hope for his family's future, but with the possibility of it being ripped away, now he can't help it.

A strong hand grips his shoulder and Bass looks up into Maddox's eyes. "You can tell her yourself when we get home."

With a nod, the men split the group in two and head off into the woods lining the highway they had been traveling on. They move as quietly as they can through the brush on horseback, the dread in his stomach growing the further in they go.

SNAP!

Bass' head whips around towards the source of the sound so fast that his neck cracks. A few soldiers have drawn their weapons but Bass waves them off as he spots a young man looking around self-consciously. His horse must have stepped on a tree branch.

He sighs and they continue on in a large loop, looking for any sign of this so called 'war clan' that he's starting to doubt even exists. He's all but made up his mind to go back home when they arrive back at the highway. He's thinking about what he can pick up on the way back to make it up to Charlie for being late when he realizes they've stepped into a trap.

A young man with dirty blonde hair steps out of the woods on the opposite side of the road. Bass' first instinct would be to shoot if it weren't for the man bound and gagged, being drug out onto the pavement for the men to see.

"President Monroe," the young man drawls. "We've been expecting you." Around him, his soldiers point their weapons at the man holding Maddox hostage. "Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you," he says happily. "My men have orders to execute the soldiers that you're buddy Maddox was leading if they hear even a single shot."

The man looks directly at Bass, his eyes shining with amusement. "Now, Mr. President, I think you and I have some things to discuss."

"Alright. Let's talk," Bass says calmly.

The man smiles. "Oh, not here. Surrender yourself to me or I slit Captain Maddox's throat, right here, right now. Your choice."

Despite the restraints, Maddox manages to pull free and run towards him, though the man catches him by the collar after only a few feet and yanks him back. Bass starts forward to help him, but is forced to stop when he meets Maddox's eyes and the other man shakes his head.

The message is clear: surrendering will end with the destruction of the Republic.

"I hate to ruin your little plan," Bass says condescendingly. "But I'm not really one for surrender."

"Well you should reconsider," the man tells him harshly. "Unless you want to watch your man and hundreds of other die. Not to mention what we have in mind for Philadelphia. We have some… creative ideas for your friends in Independence Hall. Personally, I can't wait to meet the First Lady." He gives Bass a nasty grin.

"Touch my wife and I'll kill every person you've ever known," Bass growls.

The man laughs. "It's funny how you think you're in a position to make threats."

The confidence in the man's voice makes Bass' stomach churn. "What are you talking about?"

The man grins. "I've been leading you and your people around in circles for days. What makes you think that my friends haven't already taken over Philadelphia?"

There are more of them.

 _Of course there are, you idiot._ Bass scolds himself. He should have seen this coming. Miles getting dragged away, all the way to Tennessee and then him getting pulled out of the city as well. This was their plan, whoever _they_ are, and he fell for it from the beginning.

"What do you want?" He asks the man angrily.

But the man merely smiles. "You and your men surrender your weapons. In exchange, you'll all live - for now - and then you and I will have a little chat."

"What about our families back home?"

"That isn't part of the deal. I guess you'll just have to hope she's in a forgiving mood."

" _She?_ " Bass asks. "Who the hell do you work for?"

A broad, genuine smile stretches across the other man's face. "Duncan. Duncan Page."

 _Independence Hall…_

"It's been almost a week," Charlie says angrily. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that my husband and three hundred soldiers just disappeared into thin air!"

The officers in the conference room all shift in their seats uncomfortably as they watch their First Lady and de facto leader pace furiously back and forth.

"Charlie, maybe you should sit down," Jason suggests, indicating the chair at the head of the table.

She glares at him.

"He's just trying to help," Nora says gently.

Charlie turns the glare on her and both of them shut up. Turning her attention back to the table of officers, Charlie stops pacing and pulls herself together. "The President was headed due West to intercept an incoming threat. I want scouting teams to go as far as Pittsburg. Have them look for abandoned campsites, tracks that lead off the main roads, or - hell, I don't care if all they find is a half eaten apple - I want to know about it. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." They murmur around the table.

"Good," Charlie says, a little breathless. "Dismissed."

They are silent as the officers exit the room, but as soon as they're gone Charlie lets out a long breath and plops down into a chair, pressing a hand to her lower stomach and closing her eyes. "Are you alright?" Nora asks, eyeing her hand and stomach nervously.

"I wish people would stop asking me that," she says flatly. "I'm fine."

"How are you feeling?" Jason asks carefully.

Charlie cracks one eye open to look at him and says, "this baby isn't coming out until Daddy gets home so you guys may as well stop asking."

With her eyes closed again, Jason and Nora look at each other, matching worry on both of their faces.

* * *

A/N So I think the next chapter will be the big action one and then probably one more to tie it all up nice and neat. I think you guys will like what have planned for the big finish. ;-) Thanks for reading!


	46. Chapter 46

_Independence Hall…_

Charlie sits carefully on a chair in a secluded corner of the library as she tries to ignore the pain throbbing in her lower back. Not that she has any experience in this area, but she's pretty sure that this pain is caused by labor.

As in, she's having the baby.

And she isn't ready.

Bass is missing and Miles is in Tennessee. Daddy and Grandpa are supposed to be here for this.

She takes a deep breath and rubs her belly. "Just hang in there a little longer, OK? Daddy'll be home soon." Though she knows there isn't much time. Maggie had told her that labor can sometimes go on for days before a baby is born and she's been at it since she woke up this morning. They have some time before all hell breaks loose, but not enough.

From her chair, Charlie can see the homeless man she'd brought home from the shelter sitting with his glasses perched on the end of his nose and his eyes directed out the window. She wonders yet again what he could possibly be looking at but doesn't even bother asking.

"The baby's coming," she says softly into the silence. He may not be listening, or even care, but it makes her feel a little better to say it out loud. "D'you think Bass will be back in time?" She asks, not actually expecting an answer.

Unsurprisingly, all the man does is blink and continue to stare out the window.

 _Abandoned building five miles from Independence Hall…_

Bass watches the young man that has taken him hostage pace back and forth in the dirty, little room he'd chosen to hide them in. His hands are bound behind his back and his feet tied the legs of a chair. He can't go anywhere just yet. Through the cracked window, he can see the bell tower of Independence Hall gleaming brightly in the afternoon sunlight. He thinks of Charlie and wonders if she's pacing, much like his captor, wondering where he is or if maybe she's rocking their newborn to sleep, or possibly in the terrible pains of labor at this very moment.

He's drawn from his thoughts by the appearance of a messenger who quickly whispers to the young man. "Ah, excellent news," the young man says with a smile.

The messenger leaves them alone and Bass glares at the smile on his captor's face. "Who are you? Why are working for Duncan Page? She's ruthless and brutal, and she only cares about herself. You should let me go. If you do, I'll forget any of this ever happened and you can go free."

The young man scoffs. "Man, Duncan said you were full of yourself but she didn't say anything about you being delusional." He shakes his head in amusement and leans casually against the wall. "Well first of all, my name is Scanlon. And second, I'm doing this because Duncan said so, and she's my boss. And third, what exactly do you think you could do to me? You're tied to a chair with no weapons and no way of freeing yourself. Plus, your men are miles from the city. You are literally one man against an entire army. You don't stand a chance."

Bass struggles against the ropes binding his hands but it's no use. They're too tight. "Why are you doing this? What does Duncan even want? Whatever it is, she can have it, all she has to do it let everyone go. No one has to get hurt."

Scanlon chuckles and stalks towards him, leaning down so his face is merely inches from Bass'. "Don't you know? Hurting people is Duncan's favorite part."

 _Baltimore, Maryland…_

"I can't believe we've made it this far," Jeremy says wearily as he splashes water from a small stream onto his face.

"Yeah well don't get too comfortable," Miles says. "Tonight's the full moon and we'll be lucky if we make it in time to stop Duncan."

"You don't think she'll actually hurt anyone, do you?" Tom asks. "I mean, she's always seemed the type to do more talking than anything else."

Miles refills his canteen and quickly drains it, only to refill it again before getting back on his horse. "I know she will." Tom and Jeremy both look at him questioningly, so he explains. "Charlie humiliated her. First by marrying Bass, which Duncan had planned to do in order to unite The Plains and The Republic. Then Charlie tricked her into coming to that Summit just so she could lock her up while we took over her land. None of this is about the Republic at all. This is about Duncan's revenge on Charlie."

Jeremy and Tom share a matching, horrified look. "Oh shit." Jeremy says under his breath.

Tom nods in agreement as he hurries back to his horse. "Let's go."

 _Independence Hall…_

"Hey, have you seen Charlie?" Danny asks as he enters the kitchen. Jason looks up from the plate of fresh cookies he'd been digging in and shakes his head.

"What are you doing?" Danny with a chuckle.

"Taking a break," Jason says around a mouthful of cookie. Danny rolls his eyes in amusement as he shoves another cookie in his mouth and asks, "Do you know where she is?"

Jason frowns and swallows hard, taking a drink of milk before answering. "No, why? What's going on?"

Danny shrugs, but still looks worried. "I just saw Maggie on her way to the clinic, she said that Charlie didn't check in with her this morning."

Jason stands up to his full height, wiping away the remains of his snack from his face. "She's not in her room?"

"No."

"Bass' office?" Danny shakes his head. "Miles' office?"

Danny sighs. "No. I've checked all the usual places and she just isn't here."

"What about the library?" Jason asks, earning himself a glare.

"I told you, I checked. The only person in the library is the fat, homeless guy she brought home."

Jason raises his hands up in mock surrender, a little smirk on his lips. "OK, OK, I'm sorry."

Danny rolls his eyes at him and turns to leave, intent on searching the lesser used half of the house that's meant for guests. But Jason grabs him by the hand and pulls him towards him, his eyes much softer this time. "Hey, I said I'm sorry."

"I know, I heard you." Danny says stubbornly.

Jason chuckles under his breath and steals a quick kiss, making Danny glare. "Do you forgive me?" He asks with a knowing smile.

"My sister is missing!"

Jason waves the statement away with his hand and pulls Danny close. "I'm sure she's just hiding because Bass is missing and she doesn't want anyone to see her cry. Give it an hour and I'm sure she'll turn up."

"You sure?" Danny asks distractedly as Jason slips his fingers beneath the hem of his t-shirt. Jason kisses him rather than answer.

XxX

Nora sits at her desk, her eyes fixed on the red stone on her wedding ring. She's been married for a month now and she's only spent one day with her husband. There's been no word from the boys about the situation in Georgia yet, but she's sure it'll be anytime now. Miles knows better than to keep her waiting.

As if on cue, a tired and travel worn messenger stumbles through her door without bothering to knock, a crumpled letter clutched in his hand. She takes it without preamble, the scared look on the messengers face making her hold her breath as she rips the letter open.

 _Bass or Charlie or Nora or whoever is in charge whenever this gets to Philly,_

Get out. Duncan's planned a coup. If she's already made her move when you get this, I hope you're safe, and I'll meet you at the spot. You know the one. If she hasn't moved yet, set condition teddy bear and we'll be home as soon as we can.

Miles, Jer, and Tom

"Oh fuck," she whispers. The messenger's eyebrows shoot high up on his forehead, his prior concern reaching up to full blown panic. Nora storms past him and out into the hallway, shouting to the guards and officers roaming around before they all head home to dinner. "The capital is under attack! Lock down the building immediately and raise the defenses at the gate!"

Everyone in the hallway stops and simply stares at her.

"Now!" She screams. They all jump into action at once, but what looks like chaos Nora knows is actually Miles' pre-prepared defense plan falling into place. She grabs onto the nearest body and turns the girl in uniform to face her. "Find Jason Neville and tell him to meet me in the President's suite. And tell him to bring Danny."

The girl nods and takes off, leaving Nora headed for Bass and Charlie's room. She pushes the doors open without knocking, expecting to apologize once Charlie is safe, only to find the bedroom empty. She calls out for her friend and checks the bathroom before Jason and Danny come skidding into the room, Jason's boots in his hand and Danny's zipper still undone.

"What the hell?" Jason asks between gasps of breath.

"Duncan Page is a lunatic and Charlie is missing, so put your shoes on and button your damn pants cause I'm pretty sure we're at war!"

The boys both stare at her for a moment and she groans. "Guys, now!"

Jason drops into the nearest chair and shoves his feet into his boots while Danny rights himself. "Where the hell is Charlie?" Jason asks angrily.

Danny stares at him with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Twenty minutes ago you didn't care where she was!"

"Well that was before she was missing," Jason says, his cheeks turning a little pink.

Before Danny has a chance to argue, Nora cuts across him. "Enough! Jason, I need you to oversee the lock down while I look for Charlie."

"Wait, why can't I look for her?"

"Because," Nora says, seeming a little desperate. "This military crap is Miles' thing and I'm in way over my head here. You take care of the lock down, I'll find Charlie. Finding people is something I can do."

"OK, great." Danny says. "What do you want me to do?"

Nora and Jason both turn to look at him and say, "hide."

"What?"

Nora nods and starts pushing him towards the hidden room inside Bass' closet. "I will not be responsible for killing Charlie's baby brother, so you are going to sit in this closet and you are going to like it."

"Jason," Danny says with pleading eyes. "I can't just sit in here."

"Yes you can," Jason says seriously, nudging him into the small room. "I can't do my job with you running around unprotected, so just stay here and let us do our thing. And when Charlie gets here, try to keep her calm. We don't need her going into labor in the middle of a war zone."

"But-"

"-Stay safe!" Nora chirps, closing the door in Danny's face. "Do you think he'll stay?" She mutters under her breath.

Jason sighs and shakes his head. "Not a chance. We better make this quick."

XxX

Charlie breathes in the cool evening air with a sigh of relief as she sits on a bench in the park. After sitting in the library with the homeless guy for a few hours, she finally couldn't take it anymore and left. The contractions had been sparse this morning and had eventually stopped altogether, so she'd figured it was safe to go out and about. That was up until ten minutes ago, when they'd started up again.

 _It's alright,_ she tells herself. _They're not bad yet. I've got time._

 _Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong._

Charlie whirls around to find the source of the noise and feels her stomach drop, and not because of the contractions. Men and women hurry about on the front lawn of Independence Hall as the warning bell continues to chime in the background. Charlie gets to her feet as quickly as she can and heads back to the house as the doors and windows are all being checked.

Dread washes over her as she approaches the house. If the bell is ringing, then something bad is about to happen.

A young private spots her as she ambles up the path to the side door into the kitchen and rushes out to meet her. "Mrs. Monroe, everyone's been looking for you!"

Charlie waves off the young girls remark with a quick shake of her head and says, "What's the situation?"

"I don't know exactly, but Vice President Clayton told everyone that the city is on lockdown and that we were to find you and bring you to either her or Lieutenant Neville."

"It's Matheson," Charlie corrects her automatically, already headed straight for Nora's office.

"Ma'am?"

"The Vice President," she says impatiently. "It's Nora _Matheson._ "

The young Private looks prepared to argue about the importance of Nora's name but seems to decide it's best not to argue at the last moment. "Of course, Mrs. Monroe. My mistake."

The girl moves to follow her to Nora's office, but Charlie holds out a hand to stop her. "I know where I'm going Private. Go do whatever you were doing before you found me."

She waits until the girl is out of sight to change course for she and Bass' bedroom. As much as she wants to know what's going on and as much as she wants to help, she'd made a promise to Miles a long time ago, and it's one she has to honor. He'd made her promise that if she ever heard that bell ring, that she would go straight to Bass' closet and hide in the secret room inside. She'd made that promise when she was nine years old and despite the years that have passed since then, she knows that he'll still hold her to it. Plus, even as stubborn as she is, there's no way this pregnant lady is fighting any battles today.

She grabs a blanket off of their bed on her way through the bedroom and pushes open the hidden door behind a row of Bass' dress clothes only to find that the room is already occupied.

"Charlie!" Danny practically screams as he throws his arms around her. "Where the hell have you been?"

"It doesn't matter," she says as she secures the door behind her. "Just tell me what the hell is going on."

 _Abandoned building five miles from Independence Hall…_

Even from this distance, Bass can hear the faint _ding-dong_ of the bells around Philadelphia. On one hand, the sound is a good thing. It means that Charlie and the gang know there is a threat and they're working against. On the other hand, it could also mean that they're under siege and everyone is running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

He pushes the second option out of his mind and hopes for the first one. For everyone's sake.

 _Independence Hall…_

The silence surrounding the city is overwhelming. So thick you could probably hear a pin drop. Nora and Jason stand shoulder to shoulder in the rotunda where the bell hangs looking it over the city. Everyone is at their battle stations, nonessential personal have been evacuated, and the city's residents have been gathered into safe zones all across the city.

"Did you check on Charlie?" Nora murmers.

"Yeah," Jason says softly. "Pissed off about being couped up, but she cooled down when I got her Bass' shotgun from under the living room couch."

"And Danny? Maggie?"

"She tried to move the entire clinic into the closet but I managed to convince her that her medical bag would have to be enough if the baby decides to come. And Danny will be fine. I gave him my knife. He knows how to use it. I've been showing him some stuff."

Nora lets out a long, slow breath, letting the relief wash over her as the silence takes over again. They watch as the sun dips low on the horizon until it eventually disappears and is replaced by the darkness of a new moon."

"I can't believe Duncan would be stupid enough to attack us on our own turf," Jason says after a while.

Nora sighs, nodding in agreement. "Maybe Miles is wrong, maybe she'll-"

 _BOOM!_

The explosion knocks them both to the ground, disorienting them long enough for the cafe across the street to be completely engulfed in flames by the time they get to their feet. Below them, they can see people running from the building, their clothes on fire, their screams piercing through the air.

"Oh my God," Nora says. "What the- how did they-"

 _BOOM!_

More prepared this time, they both grab onto the railing and watch as a missile falls from the sky, landing somewhere near the clinic.

"They have bombs?" Jason shouts over the noise. "How the hell did they get those!"

 _BOOM!_

"I don't know," Nora screams. "But we need to evacuate everyone _now!"_

XxX

As a child, Charlie had seen more than her fair share of fighting. Blood and gore, gunfights, even a few of Nora's homemade explosives. But never in her life has she witnessed something like this. Even from inside the closet the explosion is deafening, shaking the entire house beneath her feet.

"What was that?" Danny asks, his voice a higher pitch than normal. Charlie simply shakes her head at a loss for words and takes his hand.

"Don't worry, love." Maggie says, trying to sound calmer than she really is. "Everything will be alright. Nora and Jason know what they're doing and we're safe in here."

Danny doesn't look all that convinced so Charlie nods. "She's right. Duncan wants to take over so she won't do anything to hurt Independence Hall. We're safe as long as we're…" Her voice trails off.

"What, Charlie what's wrong?" Danny asks quickly.

"Oh no," Charlie says softly, almost to herself.

Maggie grabs her hand and squeezes it. "Charlie what's wrong?"

"The homeless man," she says softly, as if that explains everything. "He's still in the library." She struggles to her feet before anyone can stop her and rushes to the door.

"Charlie what the hell do you think you're doing?" Danny yells.

"We have to go get him! We can't just leave him in there by himself."

Maggie hurries over to her and grabs her shoulders, shaking her as if to wake her up. "Charlie that man has no idea who he is or where he is, or even who we are. He is not worth giving your own life."

Charlie backs away from her as if she's been burned. "You're a doctor, Maggie. Didn't you take an oath or something that says you have to help people?"

"Yes, I did. And right now I'm helping you and your child. I know it's horrible and someday I'll pay the price for this, but I can live with that as long as you two are safe."

Charlie shakes her head. "Well I can't live with that. What kind of example would that be for my child?"

"Charlie-" Danny starts.

"No," she says defiantly. "I'm going." She grabs Bass' shotgun from the floor and opens the closet door, instantly struck by how loud the noise outside really is. Rather than argue, Danny grips the knife Jason gave him and Maggie pulls a small revolver from her bag.

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Maggie mutters.

Charlie smiles in spite of the situation and says, "It's not like I was asking for permission."

Rolling her eyes, Maggie pushes past both of them and moves quickly and quietly to the bedroom door. Deciding to take her lead, Charlie follows as stealthily as her pregnancy will allow with Danny just behind. The explosions seem to have shaken whatever prior plan Miles had in place for emergencies. The guards typically stationed at the end of every hall must have fled, or at the very least are hiding someplace else in the house. Not that she blames them. There's only so much a foot army can do against missiles.

It isn't until they've reached the first floor of the house that Charlie realizes where the guards have gone. The hallway outside the kitchen is filled with dead bodies, both their men and Duncan's lay dead at her feet. Danny turns abruptly and vomits on the floor while Charlie and Maggie gag at the gruesome sight before them.

"Come on," Charlie says, patting Danny roughly on the back. "We need to keep moving."

They find more bodies as they move along towards the library, as well as quite a few soldiers who seem too in the moment to realize that the First Lady is running around a war zone without a bodyguard. Fortunately they don't run into any enemy fighters.

Walking into the library and finding it exactly as she'd left it earlier is a little disconcerting when she considers the carnage just outside the door, but Charlie pushes on towards the chair the homeless man has been occupying the past few weeks. But he isn't there.

"Great. You're homeless guy is gone. Can we go back to the safe room now?" Danny whines.

"Where could he have gone?" Charlie asks, ignoring Danny's question.

"Does it matter?" Maggie says impatiently. "Look, we came down here and we tried. That's all that matters. Now let's get back to someplace safe."

As much as she hates it, Charlie lets herself be lead back through the library towards the door, only to be stopped again by a woman's voice.

"Safe?" She says mockingly. "Oh, honey, there's no place that's safe anymore."

Charlie feels her heart drop at the familiarity of the woman's low, taunting tone. "What do you want Duncan?"

The other woman laughs as they peer around the bookshelf closest to the door, though she stops abruptly when she finally spots Charlie. "You know what I want." She says, suddenly seeming angry. "I want what you took from me."

"Took from you?" Charlie asks incredulously. "I never took anything from you."

"Oh, please. Save your _little Miss innocent_ act for your stupid uncle." Duncan raises her gun as she comes around the bookshelf to face them. Charlie cocks the shotgun and levels it at her chest. "Uh-uh," Duncan says with a smile. "Don't even think about it. You might kill me with that shot but I guarantee I'll take your brother down with me. And I don't think you want that, now do you?"

Charlie glares at her, which Duncan seems to take as an agreement that she's right and motions for Charlie to give her the shotgun. "Nice and easy, princess. Wouldn't want the little prince to get all blown up now would we?"

"What do you want?" Charlie asks angrily as Duncan tosses her shotgun aside.

Duncan smiles, the effect slightly terrifying on her face. "I want what you stole right out from under me."

"What are you talking about? I never took anything from you!"

"I could have had everything!" Duncan yells angrily. "All I had to do was marry Monroe and the entire Eastern coast would have been under my command. But no. You had to come in with your crocodile tears and that whiny little voice. _'But Bass…'_ You ruined everything."

Charlie can't help but cringe at the pure loathing in Duncan's voice. As much as she hates Duncan, she's always had a certain amount of respect for the woman. Apparently that was a mistake.

"Look, I'm sorry that you feel that way Duncan. But I didn't stop Bass from being with you, he made that choice long before he and I were even an option."

Anger contorts Duncan's face for a moment, but then she turns instantly calm, her movements sharp and calculated. "Well it doesn't matter now," she says in a sickly sweet voice. "When the First Lady dies, the President will need someone to pick up the pieces and I will be more than happy to do that." She raises her gun and points it directly at Charlie's heart.

"Hey!" Maggie shouts, jumping in front of Charlie as she wraps her arms protectively around her belly. "If you want to kill Charlie, you'll have to kill me too."

Duncan scoffs. "Alright." She pulls back on the hammer of her gun and time seems to slow as Charlie watches her finger begin to squeeze the trigger. Then-

 _Thud._

Duncan blinks slowly and crumples to the ground, revealing the homeless man standing behind her with a heavy, hardback encyclopedia raised as if to strike. For a moment they all just stand there in shock, too surprised by his sudden appearance in the real world to realize that he just save their lives.

"Oh my God," Charlie murmurs, her eyes finding the homeless man's brown ones. "You… you saved us," she says, feeling tears brimming in her eyes. "After all this time just sitting in the library, you save us."

The man slowly lowers the book, looking at it like he isn't really sure where it came from. "Yeah," he says hoarsely. "I guess I did."

A smile breaks out on Charlie's face and she rushes forward, enveloping this strange man in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you so much."

He pats her awkwardly on the back and says, "No problem."

Charlie releases him, a big genuine smile on her face. "So now I can finally get an answer. What is your name?"

He chuckles nervously, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "My name is Aaron. Aaron Pittman."

"Well it's nice to finally meet you Aaron Pittman."

"Yeah," Danny says, coming over to shake the man's hand. "And thank you, for savings us, I mean."

"This is really wonderful," Maggie says in a can-we-talk-about-this-later kind of voice. "But don't you think we should deal with the crazy woman before we throw the welcome party?"

"Oh, right," Charlie says as she turns to the door. "I'll go find Jason and Nora. Without their leader, I doubt Duncan's guys will keep this up much longer." She turns the doorknob but before she can pull the door open, Maggie's voice stops her in her tracks.

"Oh, dear God."

"What?" Charlie asks, whipping around to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Maggie merely points, her finger directed at Charlie's long skirt. Charlie looks down and sees a long stain on the fabric. She does a quick, mental physical and realizes that she feels wet.

"Oh no," Danny says, his eyes going wide.

"My water broke," Charlie breathes.

"Yeah," Maggie says, automatically switching into clinical mode. "You're in labor."

* * *

A/N OK, so as usual I'm a liar and a terrible person because it's been like a month since my last update and I promised to do better but apparently I'm just not capable of that. Hopefully you guys don't totally hate me right now. I would understand if you did. :)

It turns out that I just have no time to do anything anymore. It has taken me like three weeks just to get this much done and even that was like pulling teeth. As much as I love writing, when this story is finished - which I promise it will be - I'm going to have to hang it up for a while. I'm killing myself working 2 jobs and trying to keep up with my family at the same time, and it just isn't worth it anymore. Maybe at some point I'll pick it back up, but right now I just have too much on my plate. I hope you guys understand. Thank you all for being so wonderfully supportive and I hope you'll enjoy the ending I have planned for this. :-D


	47. Chapter 47

A few tense moments pass by before Maggie rushes to Charlie's side and guides her towards a loveseat in the corner of the library.

"Oh my God," Charlie says. "I'm gonna have a baby. Holy shit."

"Everything is going to be alright Charlie. Just try to breathe and stay calm."

"Calm," Charlie repeats, nodding her head up and down. "I can do that. Calm."

"Yes," Maggie says soothingly. "I know you can."

"Not to break up the calm," Danny says in a mock whisper. "But what about the crazy bitch that just tried to kill us?"

"Right," Charlie says, nodding her head again. "Uh, Danny, go find Jason and tell him I need him, like right now." Danny nods, looking down at her as if waiting for her to say something else. "Now, Danny!"

"Oh. Right." He takes off out the door as a contraction tears through her, temporarily blinding her with pain. She vaguely registers Maggie's calming voice, but her only thoughts are for her husband and baby. When the pain clears, she turns to look at her new friend.

"Aaron, do you know how to use a gun?"

"Uh, not really," he says stepping closer to the couch, his face worried.

"Well get ready to learn. My shotgun is on the ground over there, pick it up and aim the barrel at Duncan. If she moves, pull the trigger."

"Pull the trigger." Aaron repeats, his eyes going wide.

Charlie can only nod as she feels another contraction coming on. Aaron takes a deep breath and crosses the room, picking up the shotgun with shaky hands. He points it at the unconscious woman on the ground and clenches his jaw. He will shoot her if she moves, he just hopes he doesn't have to.

 _Abandoned building, five miles from Independence Hall…_

Bass watches through the window as the fires around Philadelphia continue to burn. His heart aches. It was his job to protect those people and he failed. The only hope he has is that the tower of Independence Hall is still visible and not in flames. It's possible that Charlie is still inside, locked away in the room inside his closet, safe and sound. Though as he watches Scanlon pace across the room, another hope seems to blossom. Something about the look on Scanlon's face isn't right. He seems… worried.

"Everything alright?" Bass asks in a friendly voice.

Scanlon merely glares at him and throws open the door to the room they're in, making the guard outside jump. "What the hell is going on?" Scanlon yells. He glances at Bass for a moment and then lowers his voice. "What is taking so long, we should have heard something by now."

"I don't know," the guard answers stupidly.

"Well go find out," Scanlon says through gritted teeth, sending the idiot away.

"You look worried," Bass says, trying and failing not to sound happy about their plan falling apart.

Scanlon glares at him again. "Mind your own business."

Bass gives him a friendly smile. "Just trying to help."

The guard comes back in and Scanlon follows him out into the hall out of sight. They're trying to talk quietly, but Bass can still hear them. "Are you sure?" Scanlon asks.

"Well that's what everyone is saying."

"I don't want rumors you idiot! Go find out exactly where Duncan is, then come back and tell me."

A moment of silence passes and Bass imagines that he can see Scanlon out in the hall, running his fingers nervously through his hair, as their carefully constructed plan begins to fail. When he comes back into the room, he's trying very hard to hide his obvious agitation.

"So where is Duncan hiding these days?" Bass asks easily. Now that he knows their plan is falling apart, it's time for him to make his move.

"She isn't hiding," Scanlon says harshly. "I'm sure she's just too busy gloating to notice that she's behind."

"Right," Bass agrees. "Makes total sense that you'd plan a coup and then waste time gloating before you even won."

Scanlon throws his hands up in the air in anger. "What are you talking about old man? We've already won. Independence Hall is under our control."

"Is it? Because if it was, I'm sure Duncan would be here rubbing it in my face, but since she isn't… I've gotta wonder."

"Shut up," Scanlon growls, opening the door and making to leave the room, but he's stopped by an angry woman standing just outside the door.

"What the hell is going on?" The woman asks. "Duncan assured me that the Republic would have fallen and been under her control by now."

Scanlon backs into the room cautiously, clearly afraid of this woman's arrival. "I-I'm not sure ma'am. I've got people looking into it."

Bass looks curiously to the door but isn't all that surprised to see none other than Rachel Matheson stalking her way into the room. He sighs, looking at his hateful mother-in-law, who turns to him with a surprised expression.

"And what is _he_ doing here?" She yells at Scanlon. "He was supposed to have died _hours_ ago. That was the deal Duncan and I made."

"You did what?" Bass yells, but Rachel just ignores him and continues to stare at Scanlon, who starts to mutter.

"I was… well I had too… I was just following orders."

"Excuse me?" She asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

Scanlon shifts uncomfortably but still manages to look her in the eyes. "I was following orders."

"Your _orders_ should have been to kill Sebastian Monroe the second you had him in your sights. That. Was. The. Deal."

An absurd laugh bubbles up in Bass' chest and he can't help but let it out. It only gets worse when Rachel turns to glare at him. "What the hell is so funny Bass? Huh? It'll be really hilarious when you're dead won't it?"

"God Rachel," Bass says, the humor fading away. "You are so fucking stupid it isn't even funny." She stares at him, apparently stunned, so he continues. "Duncan never intended to kill me. I'm the one she wants! All you've done is give her the best chance she'll ever get to storm my house and _murder_ my wife, who by the way, is your _fucking daughter._ Who is also pregnant, or most likely a new mother, of _your grandchild._ "

Rachel stares at him for a moment longer and then shakes her head. "No. Impossible. Duncan and I had a deal."

Bass groans in frustration, the woman's stubbornness even more than her daughter's. "Are you not hearing me Rachel? Duncan hates Charlie! She told you what you wanted to hear so you would give her what she needed, which I assume were those missiles that just destroyed most of my city, but in the end she plans to kill you, Charlie, Miles, Nora, probably even Danny just so I'll be alone and have no choice but to go along with her plan."

Rachel shakes her head in disbelief, but he can see that he's wedged a gap in her logic. "She can't do that though… that - that's crazy."

"Yes! Duncan is insane! And she's going after Charlie. Rachel, you have to get me out of here."

"No," she says defiantly.

"Rachel I know you hate me, I don't really know why, but I know you do, but you have to put that aside and think about Charlie. Do you really want her to die by the hand of some psychopath or would you rather let me go so I can save her."

There's a moment, just a flicker in her expression that makes him think he's won, but the victory is torn away as Scanlon raises his gun and shoots her in the temple. Bass watches, horrified, as Rachel falls to the ground, blood and brain matter oozing from her skull.

"You killed her," Bass says, trying to make sense of what just happened.

"Yeah, well, the bitch wouldn't shut up."

Bass tears his eyes away from her lifeless body, not really sad himself, but already grieving on Charlie's behalf. "You'll pay for that," is all he says to Scanlon, the menace in his voice enough to make the younger man retreat as far away as he possibly can in the tiny room. And he will pay. Despite the years that have passed, the anger, and the betrayal, Miles will hunt Scanlon down if he has too, and then skin him alive for murdering the mother of his child. Though Bass doubts all of that will be necessary. He plans to snap Scanlon's scrawny, little neck the second he gets out of this chair.

 _Independence Hall…_

Jason skids to a halt in the library, his eyes immediately drawn to Charlie laid back on the couch, her legs spread open as Maggie checks her cervix. "Holy shit."

Danny comes up behind him, struggling for breath. "Holy shit," he repeats when he sees his sister's condition.

Charlie bangs her head back on the arm of the loveseat and groans. "Guys, we don't have time for this."

Nora enters the room, shoving the boys out of the way in order to get to Charlie, but stops dead when she sees her. "Holy shit."

"Oh my God," Charlie yells. "The next person that says holy shit, dies."

The underlying panic in her voice seems to get everyone else under control and Jason runs over, dropping to his knees beside her to hold her hand. "Sorry Charlie, it's just… wow. Like you're actually gonna have a baby."

She laughs, a few tears streaming down her cheeks as she does it. "Yeah, no shit. And Bass isn't here, Miles isn't here, Duncan is still in the same room as me, and the Republic currently has no leadership because we're all in here!" She screams and squeezes his hand as another contraction threatens to tear her apart.

Jason stays stoic, holding her hand and petting her hair as she tries to breathe through it. When the pain subsides enough for her to look at him he asks, "what do you want me to do?"

"Take control. As of right now, you are in charge."

"OK," Jason says, hiding his panic. "Consider it done. What else?"

"Get Duncan in a cell."

"She's on her way." Jason kisses her temple and releases her hand, moving aside so Nora can step in and take it.

"Hey, honey," Nora says in a motherly tone Charlie's never heard her use before. "Tell me what you need."

Tears slide down Charlie's cheeks as she whispers. "Bass. I need Bass."

"You got it. I won't come back without him." Nora hurries to her feet and leaves without another word, only to be replaced by Danny, who smiles weakly.

"Guess it's up to me now," he jokes as he takes his sisters hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't let go," Charlie whispers.

Danny shakes his head and smiles. "Never."

 _Just outside Philadelphia…_

Nora grips her gun tightly in one hand and the horse's reigns in the other, the predawn light just enough for them to make it through the woods outside of town. She'd decided not to bring anyone with her, unsure of who she could trust or who Jason wouldn't need. She's just deciding if she should head North or South when she hears a loud _crack!_

"Who's there," she calls out, but there's no answer. "I'm warning you, I am in no mood for bullshit right now. It's shoot first, ask questions later." She cocks her gun, just for effect, and waits, nearly jumping out of her skin when she hears his voice.

"That's a mood? I just figured you were always that way."

Nora gapes as Miles emerges from the trees, dirty and tired, but just in time. She slides off of her horse and practically falls into his arms. They stand there for a moment just holding each other before he asks, "Duncan?"

"Taken care of."

"And Charlie?"

"Safe, but she's in labor."

"What?" Tom and Jeremy ask together as they come into sight.

Nora nods. "Yeah, but Bass is missing."

"Define missing," Miles says. ''Is he just drunk and hiding because Charlie's in labor or is he actually missing?"

"He's been gone for days. I think Duncan must have had him captured to keep him out of the way."

"You think he's dead?" Jeremy asks.

Nora shakes her head. "No way. Ducan was planning to kill Charlie and keep him for herself. Bass is out here somewhere."

"Well we should get looking," Tom says, already heading back to his horse.

"Wait," Miles says, his eyes on Nora. "Who's in charge right now?"

Nora gives him a nervous half-smile. "Uh, Jason."

Miles takes a deep, calming breath. "Tom, I need you to get home and help Jason. He's great and I'm sure he has it all under control, but I bet he could use some help right about now."

Tom nods. "You got it, Boss."

"Jeremy, you go back with him and start gathering up some people to put those fires out. The last thing we need is for the city to burn down."

''Alright. And you hurry up and get to Charlie,'' Jeremy says.

"Can't," Miles says as he heads back to his horse.

"And why the hell not?" Nora asks incredulously.

"Because I told that idiot when he asked me if he could marry Charlie that he better be there when she needed him or there'd be hell to pay." He looks down at Nora and gives her a little grin. "Just call me the Devil."

Nora shakes her head and smiles, mounting her horse and following her husband further into the woods.

 _Meanwhile…_

As hard as he tries, Bass still finds his eyes drawn to Rachel's lifeless body. It's not like he's never seen a dead body before, it's just the fact that it's _Rachel_ , someone he used to think of as family, is dead on the floor.

Scanlon has apparently given up all pretenses that all is going to plan since he's standing with his nose pressed against the dirty window glass and muttering to himself. Not that it matters. While Scanlon was yelling at one of his idiots to find Duncan, Bass managed to pry a rusty nail from the arm of the chair he's tied to. Now all he needs to do is free his hands without him noticing.

It actually takes very little effort. Bass has no idea why Duncan chose this moron to be her second in command, but it certainly wasn't for his smarts. It takes him a good five minutes to get the ropes completely undone, but in that time, Scanlon doesn't even look at him, so it's easy to hold his hands behind his back and pretend they're still tied. Then the only problem is that his feet are still tied. He can't fix that without tipping Scanlon off, though, so he decides to take the direct approach.

"Hey, do you think I could get some water or something?" Bass asks innocently.

Scanlon turns to look at him as if he's surprised he's still there. "Huh?"

"Water," Bass says slowly. "I've been sitting here for hours and I don't think Duncan would be very happy if her prize died of dehydration."

"Oh. Right." Scanlon crosses the room as he pulls off the canteen hung around his neck, but before he can even open it, Bass extends his arms and grabs hold of his neck. The younger man struggles against his hold, but eventually goes limp. Bass allows his body to drop to the ground and unties his feet, jumping up the moment he's free.

For a second, he hesitates over Rachel's body.

"I'll send someone back for you," he says quietly, stepping around her and into the hallway on his way to freedom. He runs into a guard at the end of the hall that raises their gun at him. He stops. No gun, not even a knife to defend himself. He doesn't stand a chance.

 _Bang!_

Blood explodes from the guards head and he hits the ground. Bass takes a step back, shocked, but then immediately relieved when Miles comes storming around the corner with Nora at his heels.

"Miles!" He runs towards them, expecting Miles to embrace him after being apart for so long and then nearly dying, but all he does is push him hard in the chest and scowl. "Dude, what the hell?"

"Charlie's having the baby and you're out here playing around?" He asks incredulously.

"Seriously? You think I wouldn't rather be - wait - Charlie's what?"

Miles grabs him by the collar and literally drags him from the building, tossing him towards his own horse tethered to a tree nearby. "She's having the baby you fucktard, now get your ass home!" Bass leaves without having to be told twice, leaving Miles with Nora and her horse. "Was I too hard on him?" He asks his wife.

Nora shrugs. "Nah. Just right."

 _Independence Hall, the President's Suite…_

Jason sits outside of Charlie's bedroom with Bass' shotgun in his lap and Danny's head resting on his shoulder. He keeps having to shake himself awake since Danny's even breaths keep trying to lull him to sleep. He perks up when he hears a door slam somewhere downstairs and jumps to his feet when heavy footsteps start coming their way.

"Was' goin' on?" Danny asks sleepily.

"Shh! Get down!" Jason clocks the shotgun and points it towards the end of the hall, but before Danny can even blink himself awake, Bass comes running into view. He stops dead when he spots Jason with a gun pointed at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bass asks.

It takes a second for his tired brain to catch up with his eyes, but as soon as he recognizes Bass, Jason sets the shotgun down and smiles. "It's about time you showed up."

Bass hurries forward, his eyes full of worry. "Charlie?"

Jason just grins. "She's fine." He reaches out to grab Bass' shoulder as he sags with relief. "Now why don't you come meet your son."

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, but when they do, Bass' entire face lights up. "My son?"

"Yeah. You have a son." Jason steers Bass into the bedroom and as soon as he's over the threshold he hurries to the bed where Charlie is sleeping peacefully. Bass goes to grab her hand and kiss her but Jason pulls him back. "Wait, Maggie only just now got her to sleep. Leave her be for a while. She needs to rest."

Bass nods in understanding and leans down close to Charlie's head to whisper, "I love you," before turning to where they had set up the baby's bassinet. Jeremy is standing next to it with a huge smile on his face and a bundle in his arms.

"Congratulations, man," he says, gently placing the bundle into Bass' arms. He panics. While the weight of the child is next to nothing, it feels like the world just landed on his shoulders.

"Hey, buddy," Bass whispers, causing the baby to stir, his pink lips parting and his tiny tongue flicking out. "Look at you." Sudden tears blur his vision but he blinks them away so he can keep looking at his son.

"Bass?" Charlie rasps out. He turns around quickly, jarring the baby and earning an unhappy grunt, and rushes to her side. She immediately scoots over so he can sit on the edge of the bed next to her.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here," he starts, but Charlie just waves him.

"It's OK, you're here now, that's all I care about."

He nods, a few tears making their way down his cheeks, and kisses her. Charlie takes his face in her hands and holds him there, refusing to break the kiss. "I missed you," is all she can say when they finally part.

Bass nods in agreement and moves to hug her but realizes he can't with the baby in his arms. "We have a baby," he says almost as if he'd forgotten.

Charlie laughs. "I know. I was there when he was born."

He looks away guiltily. "I'm so sorry-"

"-It's OK, Bass."

"No its not. My son came into the world and I wasn't even there to see it."

Charlie reaches out and strokes his cheek, a small smile on her face. "Don't worry, you'll be there for the next one."

"The next one?"

"Yeah. The next one."

Bass nods. "OK. I'll be there."

Charlie turns her attention to her son, her smile growing as she looks at his chubby cheeks. "So what's my son's name?" She asks.

"Huh?"

"His name," she repeats slowly. "Remember we had a deal. You stay sober and you get to name the baby. So what's my son's name?"

"Uh…"

"You didn't pick one out, did you?"

Bass laughs. "No, I didn't. Well, actually I picked out a girl name."

"What? I thought you said it _had_ to be a boy. Why didn't you pick a boys name?"

Bass rolls his eyes. "I only said that because it irritated you, and I like to irritate you." He smiles down at her and then it's her turn to roll her eyes. "But you said it was gonna be a girl and you're usually right so I picked out a girls name."

Jason and Jeremy both laugh. "So what name did you pick for a girl?" Jeremy asks.

"Well… I was kind of thinking Savanna."

"Savanna," Charlie repeats. "I like it, but why Savanna?"

Bass shrugs. "I just picked it 'cause it started with 'S'. You know, Sebastian, Savanna. That kind of thing."

"OK," Charlie says with a smile. "What about Samuel? Sam?"

"Too plain," Jeremy says with a frown. "How about Sean? Or… Scott, Seth, Sylvester."

Bass huffs a laugh. "Definitely not Sylvester."

"I kinda like Sean…" Charlie says.

Jason shakes his head. "No, the only Sean's I know are assholes. What about Sidney, or Saul, or Simon, Sawyer…"

"Ooh, I like Simon," Charlie says with a smile. "It sounds smart."

Bass nods in agreement, but then frowns. "Hey, I thought I was supposed to name him."

"Well… you can pick the middle name then," she says.

"OK. But you don't get to say no, then."

"Alright, fine. Let's hear it."

Bass grins and passes the baby into her arms. "Charlie, meet out son, Simon Grant Monroe."

She sighs, but smiles just the same. "I guess I should have seen that one coming, huh?"

"Saw what coming?" Miles asks as he and Nora finally arrive. If it weren't for the baby in her arms, Charlie would have jumped up to hug him but she settles herself with beckoning him to her side. Miles doesn't argue, sitting down next to Bass on the edge of the bed. He looks her over with his eyes as if checking for injuries, before letting his eyes fall to the baby. "So what did I miss?" He asks softly.

Bass chuckles, taking the Simon from Charlie and putting him into Miles' arms despite his silent protest. "Your _grandson._ Miles, meet Simon Grant."

Miles snorts, his eyes drawn to the baby's face. "That's a raw deal you got there, pal," he says to the baby. "How 'bout I just call you little bug." He looks to Charlie as if asking her permission and she smiles.

"I can live with that."

 _Several days later, just outside Philadelphia…_

The cemetery is full of fresh graves. The missiles Duncan had set off and the resulting fires had killed twenty-seven people, four of them were under the age of twelve. Flowers are piles high on the graves, homemade markers set at the head. The one in front of Charlie simply reads _Rachel Matheson._ The grief she feels isn't so much for the loss of her mother, she'd lost her when she was five years old, but for the loss of the relationship they could have built, had her mother not been so stubborn.

A strong arm wraps around her shoulders and Miles pulls her close against his chest. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I'm sorry you never got to know her like you wanted to, like you should have."

Charlie wraps her arms around his middle and squeezes. "It's OK. That's what I have you for."

He nods and kisses the top of her head. "Love you, Bug."

"Love you too, Miles."

They head back to the wagon that will take them to Independence Hall, where Bass stands waiting with Simon in his arms. "Ready to go?" He asks her quietly.

She gives him a quick kiss and climbs up, taking the baby from him so he can join her. "Let's go home."

Danny and Jason smile from their seats across from her with Tom and Julia right next to them. Jeremy and Maggie sit hand in hand next to Nora, who welcomes Miles with a kiss when he sits down with to her. They're all quiet as they make the journey back into town, passing the burnt out buildings lining the streets.

"What do we do now?" Danny says into the silence.

"Now…" Charlie starts. "Now we rebuild. It'll be hard and stressful. We'll all fight a lot, but we'll do it. We'll get through it." She looks at Danny and gives him a warm smile. "Because we're family. And that's what family does."

* * *

A/N Is it weird that I kind of want to cry? I started this little adventure over a year ago and I can't believe that's it's actually over now. I just want to say - or type - thank you, to all of you who have been patient, kind, and encouraging throughout this entire thing. And say goodbye, for now. I hope that someday soon I can come back and finish New Name, Old Games, but at the moment I just don't have it in me. Thank you so much for everything guys. I really mean that.


End file.
